What would Otto Bayer think? Bayer, the “father of polyurethane chemistry” discovered and patented polyurethanes in 1937 while working at Bayer in Germany. More than 70 years later, this versatile organic polymer — which was developed as a replacement for scarce rubber during World War II and went on to a multitude of applications — is now at the heart of a competitive swimming controversy over high-tech swimsuits.  

Have you heard about this? Briefly: More than 20 world records have been set this week at the world swimming championships in Rome and this phenomenon has re-opened a debate about the expensive high-tech suits that some swimmers are wearing and others are not. An unheralded German swimmer, Paul Biedermann, upset American Olympic legend Michael Phelps (and broke Phelps’ world record) in the 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday. Biedermann was sporting the Arena X-Glide, currently the latest in high-tech swimwear. Phelps was wearing the  Speedo LZR Racer, which, only months ago was considered the best in speed-enhancing apparel. Let the swimsuit arms race begin! Many swimmers have ties to sponsors that prevent them from switching to a competitor’s suit. In a sport where split-seconds matter, the whole affair has led to complaints from athletes and coaches and a philosophical debate among sports enthusuasts: Is the “playing field” level? Are we seeing the best swimmer win? Or is it the suit?

From a plastics perspective, the fact that these high-tech swimsuits rely on polyurethane is fascinating  — the material, in one form or another, has been comercially available since 1954! According to USA TODAY, here is a breakdown on the current polyurethane-based models being pushed by the three brands competing in the swimsuit wars:

Whereas 50% of the LZR is covered with panels made of polyurethane, a material that floats, the Jaked J01 is coated 100% in polyurethane. The Arena X-Glide is coated with a thin layer of “biorubber” to increase buoyancy.  The LZR has ultrasonically bonded seams to reduce drag. But the Jaked J01, because of “thermo-welding,” has no seams, and the Arena X-Glide has no stitching anywhere and no bonding on the front of the suit… Don’t expect to find a Jaked J01 or an Arena X-Glide at your local store (an online search found one J01 on eBay). The manufacturers have had time only to produce enough multi-use suits, which cost from $250 to more than $500, for the world’s elite.

It’s not clear if these suits will soon be surpassed by a new nano-fabric that both Wired Magazine and NewScientist reported on in late 2008.  Developed by scientists at the University of Zurich and comprised of  polyester fabrics coated with microscopic silicone filaments, the material was lauded for its potential to lead to the first waterproof swimsuit that would reduce drag by nearly 20%.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Polyester or polyurethane — whichever polymer takes the lead in the swimsuit wars, it will be another win for plastics innovation.

When we launched this business blog in the fall of 2008, our objective was to open up a new line of communication online about plastics — from public policy issues and SPI initiatives to interesting and beneficial uses — with our members, industry professionals, consumers and other stakeholders. We set out to do a good job, not win awards.

But we  certainly enjoy being recognized — particularly by our peers in the association world.  I am delighted to announce that this blog has won the 2009 Gold Circle Award for communications excellence from the American Society of Association Executives(ASAE).  This annual competition selects associations and nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated excellence in communication within a number of categories, including annual reports, magazines, newsletters, blogs, podcasts, etc. The competition received more than 300 entries this year and included a record-setting number of digital format entries.

Specifically, in the blog category, we were competing against hundreds of other associations from across the country with greater than $2M annual budgets. According to ASAE’s judging criteria, the award “recognizes an outstanding association-written blog that encourages participation in online discussions and interaction by the association’s membership or other stakeholder group(s).”  Our blog was judged “on clarity, conciseness, creativity, writing style/quality, opportunity for engagement and overall content.”

In a press release, ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV said, “Winners of the Gold Circle Award competition have taken their projects to the next level, integrating the fundamentals of effective communications with elements of creativity, design, technology, innovation and metrics to measure effectiveness of their tactics. ”

This is a wonderful testament to great teamwork since so many people on our staff contribute to the blog’s success and we launched it and continue to deliver it entirely in-house without external consultants.  Staff will be on hand to receive the award in August at the Gold Circle Award Ceremony during ASAE’s 2009 Annual Meeting & Exposition in Toronto, Canada.

Peter Ustinov (1921-2004), the noted writer, actor and all-around intellectual wit, once remarked, “To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.” Well, we don’t want to make too much noise, so we gladly accepted two awards that two different SPI web sites recently garnered.

SPI’s main web site (www.plasticsindustry.org) has been awarded the APEX 2009 Award of Excellence in the ”Most Improved Web & Intranet Sites” category.  Launched in September 2008,  SPI’s all-new web platform replaced the association’s previous one, which was 11 years old — ancient by the standards of  the fast-moving online world. The new site’s architecture and graphic redesign includes revised navigation, advanced search and browse options and a back-end content management system that allows staff  to quickly add, delete, revise and reorder content. Key word tagging allows users to browse content specifically tailored to their industry sector (i.e. Equipment, Material Suppliers, Processors, Bioplastics, Press and Consumers).  In terms of traffic, over the 10 months since launch, the average number of  user sessions per day on plasticsindustry.org has grown 60 percent.

SPI’s special web site constructed to support the first International Plastics Design Competition (http://www.plasticsdesign.org/) has been awarded the APEX 2009 Award of Excellence in the “New Web & Intranet Sites” category. Lauched in December 2008 as an interactive home base for the design competition (which was  held at NPE2009 in June and will continue as an annual competition), this web site features a viewing gallery for current and past winners, flash navigation, an online entry form and the ability for visitors to vote online for their favorite entry in the “People’s Choice” award category. More than 10,000 people voted on the site for the 2009 “People’s Choice” award.

APEX 2009 – the 21st Annual Awards for Publication Excellence — is an international competition that recognizes outstanding publications from newsletters and magazines to annual reports, brochures and Web sites.  According to the APEX 2009 judges, “The awards were based on excellence in graphic design, quality of editorial content and the success of the entry in conveying the message and achieving overall communications effectiveness.”

Pssssst…We aren’t allowed to officially mention it yet, but we will be tooting our own horn here again very shortly about an award that this blog has won!

If there’s anything that I’ve learned from watching Project Runway, it’s that good fashion has to be wearable, comfortable, flattering and have a unique style. Who would have expected that a shoe made from plastic could accomplish these critical fashion requirements?

One of the biggest fads of the decade, Crocs shoes burst onto the fashion scene in 2002 with their plastics clog. In 2004, after the purchase of Foam Creations, Crocs were manufactured using “croslite” – another type of copolymer using ethylene vinyl acetate.

The entire line of Crocs shoes is a testimony to the durability, versatility, and flexibility of plastics. Many Crocs are molded into a single piece of material – without any seams or joints that could weaken over time. The wide array of colors could only be achieved using plastics (unless you started making shoes out of paper). Their patented plastic foam material molds itself to a wearer’s foot and has antibacterial, anti-fungal and odor resistant properties, which combine to make a shoe that was given the American Podiatric Medical Association’s “APMA Seal of Acceptance” in footwear.

Another thing that makes these shoes unique is that – since the are made of plastics – they can be recycled. Unfortunately, a recent call to Crocs informed me that their Crocs recycling program, SolesUnited, has been suspended. The program would take your returned Crocs, grind them up, and turn them into new Crocs that contained 20% recycled material and were donated to people in need around the world. Here’s hoping that the program, or something similar, starts up again in the future!

Currently, there are plastic suits, t-shirts and shoes on the market – I can’t wait to see what new apparel made from plastic is next!

That title probably grabbed your attention, huh? However, I am not referring to conversations in the nude; instead I am referring to the title of a book: Naked Conversations by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, which argues that blogs have revolutionized the way business and industry talk to their customers because transparency and authenticity are now expected by the consumer. While the book was written “way back” in 2006, I think it is safe to say that this has become the new reality for business. 

At the NPE2009 show SPI President & CEO Bill Carteaux spoke in the opening luncheon about a proposed consumer outreach initiative that is currently in the works at SPI.  The purpose of this initiative is to engage key audiences, particularly millennials, in an open dialogue about plastics. The Millennial Generation is one that thrives on transparent and authentic discussions – essentially naked conversations. The initiative will aim to not only give the plastics industry a voice in the online world where millennials live , but seek out the voice of these consumers and supply them with sound science and trustworthy information to help them make informed choices.

Some of these conversations are already taking place. In the past few days, a lively dialogue has heated up on two blogs — check out the posts and comment going back and forth on Fake Plastic Fish and Plastics.com where individuals are weighing in with questions, concerns and input on various aspects of plastics and the plastics industry. You will disagree with some of these comments and others you will applaud; some will irritate you for their inaccuracies, others you will think “hmmmm… interesting point.” But my point is that these conversations are happening, and I think this can be healthy for the plastics industry, as long as we are ready to enter this conversation ourselves.

Rather than ignoring the debate that is already happening, SPI’s proposed consumer outreach initiative will let us engage with influential millennials — a generation that is actively asking questions, looking for answers and wanting to make sustainable choices for the future.

You may have seen the recent poll on Plastics News asking what people think about such an initiative. While most who voted find it to be a modern step in the right direction, some people selected “It’s a lost cause” or “What’s a millennial?” However, the real lost cause is if we do not enter the conversation already happening. Any millennial (like me!) can tell you that!

So, what are your thoughts? How can the plastics industry be better recognized as a credible source of information? How can we do a better job of helping consumers balance criticisms with relevant science? It seems Tell us what you think…and let the “naked conversation” begin!