These days, plastic products go a long way to make Halloween both fun and safe for kids as they traverse their neighborhoods trick-or-treating in the dark. In fact, Halloween safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics include at least four that rely on the benefits of plastics:

• Adding plastic reflective tape to costumes (as well as to props and candy containers) help kids become more visible to motorists and each other.
• Plastic flashlights not only light the way over and around curbs, uneven pavement and bushes, they are durable and light-weight. (Don’t forget fresh batteries.)
• In some cases, at least one child in a group should carry a cell phone and know how to call 9-1-1 or other emergency numbers. (Most phones are covered with a hard plastic – which provides durability, cost savings, design flexibility, and weatherability.
• Choose swords, magic wands, scepters and other props that are not heavy or sharp. Thanks to plastic, these make-believe items can be soft, flexible foam and rounded at the edges and ends.

And, while the American Academy of Pediatrics states that makeup and decorative hats are safer alternatives to masks which might limit eyesight, it is also true that some plastic masks can be trimmed to fit better and/or to provide larger holes to see through.

Beyond the safety benefits to kids on Halloween, have you considered how much plastic contributes to the scary decorations that make the most “festive” houses in the neighborhood — like this or this — the ones that kids frequent the most?

Happy Halloween!

On Tuesday, the Associated Press came out with a fairly positive review of Apple Inc.’s new MacBook laptops. But the critic misleadingly went out of his way to cite the company’s effort at “getting rid of plastic” in the design of the product:

“Just look at the effort Apple Inc. put into getting rid of plastic when designing its new $1,300 MacBook laptops, which went on sale last week. Apple now is machining the upper part of the chassis from a single block of aluminum, shaving it down to perhaps one-tenth of its original mass…The only things that are still plastic are the keys, the Apple logo on the lid, the bumpers on the bottom and some cladding on the hinge between the bottom and the display.”

That is only looking at the surface — rather than the more critical “guts” — of what truly goes on inside many of the electronic products we love. Look inside the MacBook here. Almost six minutes in, the video shows you the insides of the computer — be sure to note all the plastic parts. I doubt the AP reporter, and probably most consumers, realize that plastic products are essential to making what’s “under the hood” of almost all of our electronic products: computers, iPods, BlackBerrys®, TVs and more.

The continuing miniaturization of circuit boards and components such as computer chips increasingly relies on high-performance plastics to provide tough, stable parts that can withstand both the stress of assembly and the strain of use. With plastics, electronic designers simultaneously can decrease size and increase the functionality of circuitry in consumer, business and industrial electronics. Nowhere is the role more apparent than in the production of microprocessors, memory chips, and the integrated circuits that give computers the brains to perform. The printed circuit boards depend on insulated layering supplied by epoxy resin. The web of insulated copper wire (nylon coatings) and fiber optics (epoxy resins, silicones, and PVC — although the MacBook claims to be PVC-free) are what enable most computers to send communications around the globe. In fact, special plastics play a critical role in wire and cable for insulation because they have superior dielectric qualities as well as excellent resistance to heat and flame.

I wonder how hot the MacBook runs. Most laptops get pretty warm if they have been running for a long time. With an aluminum case, wouldn’t it conduct the heat and make everything hotter? I also wonder about its monitor. While the display is probably made of glass, the new LEDs that it uses for illumination probably incorporate plastic lenses. Finally, if the MacBook has a power cord (batteries don’t run forever) or a mouse, I’m willing to bet they are plastic.

Oh, and let’s take a moment to mention that the compact disc, whether for video games, music, data or movie (DVD) is a polycarbonate – a multi-purpose plastic with high-impact strength.

In fairness, the AP reporter’s review does give a nod to plastics when he compares the MacBook to a Hewlett-Packard competitor:

“Of course, the HP computer is plastic, but from a utilitarian point of view, that isn’t a bad material for consumer electronics. It’s tough. It’s light. It’s easy to manufacture. High-end cameras used to have shells of brass and aluminum, but they were prone to denting, so the metal was phased out in favor of plastics that were tougher and gave a better grip.”

But he is still kicking the tires and admiring the paint job. Next time, if he wants to see the horsepower plastics provide, he should check under the hood.

(For another angle on the MacBook, read The Plastics Blog.)

Have we hit bottom yet? Hard to say. The Dow closed way down today. But there has been some good news this week. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake urged Congress to consider a second economic stimulus plan (which made the Dow jump up) and a piece on CNNMoney.com on Monday reported that the index of leading economic indicators (LEI) surprised economists by jumping 0.3% in September. Lending rates are also improving. Sure, things will still probably be up and down as we enter 2009, but it is nice to read at least a few positive headlines for a change.

Here’s more good investment news for the plastics industry: NPE2009 is only eight months away. While NPE has a long tradition of boosting machinery and equipment sales during the quarter it is held (as it did once again in 2006), NPE2009, which will be held June 22-26, 2009 at McCormick Place in Chicago, will be truly an “all-industry” event and a sound business investment for many reasons.

Plastics professionals who are seeking the latest information and technology can see and learn from over 2,000 displays at every level of the supply chain. Visiting Chicago for NPE2009 means buying just one airline ticket to see the entire industry. Participants can visit with supplier executives, R&D personnel, engineers, product managers and marketing professionals from every company, and then walk a few feet for a comparative shopping experience.

Exhibitors will benefit from being able to reach buying teams in one location, for a cost per lead which is considerably less than if they were to visit clients individually. Exhibitors have the ability to show their new technology in the best possible light. Processors and designers in the plastics industry will always seek the innovative solutions, and NPE2009 — the largest global gathering of plastics industry professionals under one roof — provides the best possible venue to accomplish this task.

Plus, co-located events at NPE2009 compound your investment by providing supply chain access, innovations and economies well beyond the scale of an exhibit booth. The co-location of ANTEC (the single largest technical conference for the plastics industry in the world), MoldMaking Expo 2009 (the only event devoted exclusively to showcasing technologies and strategies used in moldmaking and rapid manufacturing, the new International Plastics Design Competition and the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology Executive Summit ensure that NPE2009 will be a multi-faceted global event not to be missed!

Do your business a favor. Put your stock in NPE2009. Did I mention attendee registration is now open?

Due to their environmental advantage over glass, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles have reached the sophisticated world of naturally fermented grape juice! According to a recent article in Packaging Digest, plastic bottles are the more sustainable choice for packaging some fine, high quality wines. Boisset Family Estates will now use PET bottles for all of its Beaujolais Nouveau wines imported to North America from the company’s wineries of Mommessin and Bouchard Aîné. In fact, this is the third time the company has gone with PET bottles instead of glass.

The company’s president, Jean Charles Boisset, explains why the company has decided to go with PET:

“The lightweight, blow-molded PET bottles made by Constar Intl. utilize the MonOxbar Plus™ oxygen-scavenging technology that extends wine’s shelf life while allowing it to “breathe.” Boisset says the biggest benefit of PET is that it dramatically reduces the weight of the bottles. Now, he says, Boisett can ship 1,750 cases of the Beaujolais in a container instead of only 1,000 cases of glass bottles. This is especially important, Boisset explains, because the Beaujolais Nouveau must be shipped by air to meet tight deadlines for its distribution… Boisett says that after studying the supply chain, the obvious opportunities were in packaging, where the company could minimize its carbon footprint, packaging weight and waste volume, while reducing the waste flow to landfills.”

Furthermore, according to Packaging Digest, the PET bottles are recyclable with the 1-PET resin identification code and have less of a carbon footprint: “Boissett says that life cycle analysis shows that the production of 750-mL wine bottles generates approximately 50 percent fewer greenhouse gases than the production of 750-mL wine bottles in virgin glass.” Also, the bottles are produced in close proximity to where the wine is made and filled in order to reduce environmental impact and cost of transportation.

Forbes magazine’s Eric Arnold wrote about the sustainability benefits of packaging fine wine in plastic bottles rather than glass back in July:

“According to an October 2007 study from the American Association of Wine Economists, the production and distribution of wine is responsible for roughly 6.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions, or nearly .1% of global emissions annually. That’s equivalent to the emissions generated by 1 million passenger cars each year, with nearly all of that impact coming from the transportation of the wine, not the production of it.”

“It is critical today, with the scarcity of our planet’s resources and the known environmental impacts of human activity, that we consider whether we should still ship thousands of cases of wine in heavy bottles by air throughout the world, when we can cut fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by more than half through a responsible choice of packaging,” says Boisset.

Boisset Family Estates is far from the only vintner to move toward plastic bottles. But never has the sustainability argument been so clearly made. Toast your friends and celebrate!

Trade associations are great. As the French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville said after traveling throughout America, “Americans of all ages, all stations of life, and all types of disposition are forever forming associations…In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge.” I couldn’t agree more. From public policy advocacy to encouraging business development through exciting trade shows or other special industry promotion initiatives, trade associations like SPI are dynamic organizations that bring people together to do good work. Check out how associations are helping others to weather the current economic meltdown.

I think so much of associations that I left a 32-year career in industry to join SPI. That’s right, despite this tough economy, my wife and I are selling our house in Newburgh, NY and will soon be buying one in the Washington, D.C. area to accommodate my new role as SPI’s new executive vice president. Working now from the inside, I hope to be able to exert a positive influence on the organization that is the voice of the plastics industry. I’m just confident enough that I think, working with the strong professional staff at SPI, that I can make a difference. However, I’m also experienced enough to know that, not even with that strong staff, there won’t be much accomplished without active and committed member volunteers.

Every company in the plastics industry is facing difficult issues that range from potential product de-selection to workforce retention. However, not every company faces the same issues. In order for a trade association to operate effectively it needs continuous input from the industry it represents. Very simply stated, that means getting involved, staying involved and helping steer the future rather than reacting to it.

I encourage you to be active in “the mother of all other forms of knowledge.”