Among the many problems faced by today’s pilots, Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (known among aviation professionals as BASH) ranks high on the list. The issue received a heavy dose of attention after the “Miracle on the Hudson” emergency jetliner landing in January 2009.  

The Federal Aviation Administration estimates the problem costs U.S. aviation 600 million dollars annually and has resulted in more than 200 worldwide deaths since 1988. In the United Kingdom, the Central Science Laboratory estimates that, worldwide, the cost of birdstrikes to airlines is around US $1.2 billion annually. Reported cases of bird-strike quadrupled in the U.S. between 1990 and 2008, according to the FAA.

A June 16th Wall Street Journal article covered the bird strike problem, and the continued challenges – well, actually failures - of control methods ranging from scarecrows and air horns to loud digital recordings of  birds’ danger calls played over speakers. 

Centering on newer, more advanced solutions, the article profiles robotic birds of prey that are dispatched by radio control to keep real flocks of  birds clear of airport runways. Like so many model aircraft enjoyed by hobbyists, plastics-intensive construction (usually nylon, fiberglass, polystyrene or PVC) factors heavily given that plastics’ lightweight characteristics and strength make an ideal fit for these applications. 

Bird Raptor Internacional SL, a company based in Spain,  is currently contracted to protect several South American airports with its Kevlar (a polymer five times stronger than steel) and foam robot. The remotely piloted Falco flies thanks to a retractable propeller in its nose and soars menacingly to scare off feathered pests. GreenX, a newer company based in the Netherlands, currently offers robotic bald eagles, falcons and hawks with flapping wings — an advantage, the company claims, because flapping wings inspire more terror in potential prey.  

There’s fantastic innovation taking place in addressing society’s problems –  and once again, plastics provide a crucial element of making the product a reality. That’s good news, since not every flier can count on a Chesley Sullenberger at the helm.

When travels involve visiting friends or family, there’s often the pleasant custom of bringing along a gift of  local or regional goods — perhaps oranges if you are from Florida, bagels if you hail from New York, bread from a favorite bakery, a particular specialty store’s branded products and so on.

When the travel is overseas, the effect is amplified, with those abroad craving things that simply can’t be obtained – or obtained at reasonable price points –  where they live.  And the items being conveyed get a bit less usual.  

Planning a recent overseas trip, and knowing I’d be seeing an expat friend, I solicited his  ideal “wish list” in advance. The request that came back wasn’t the typical one from  abroad – hard-to-find electronics or clothing –  but for a case of resealable, heavy duty plastic freezer bags. 

Beyond food storage, I’m not sure what my friend’s need for so many plastic freezer bags entailed. Reader’s Digest suggests more than 35 ”extraordinary uses” for them and one blog maintains that they are essential to include in a disaster survival kit or bugout bag for “off-grid living.” 

Regardless, my expat friend’s request for freezer bags is just one small reminder that the breadth of (affordable) choices enjoyed by the American consumer doesn’t always exist in even similarly industrialized, modern countries.  I only wish I had seen the look on the airport agent’s face while inspecting my luggage: clothes for a few days…and 1,240 plastic freezer bags.

Inside-the-beltway types contend with daily acronym overload, a non-stop alphabet soup denoting different agencies, policies and programs. Compounding the confusion for plastics industry professionals is that there’s often overlap with our own initiatives (OCS, for example, is short for both Operation Clean Sweep — an SPI environmental stewardship program — and the energy-rich offshore area known as the Outer Continental Shelf).

CRS stands for Congressional Research Service and, while largely unknown outside the world of public policy crunchers, they’re the legislative branch’s non-partisan research arm, functioning as a sort of in-house think tank for Congress. And one of its recent studies stood out from the myriad other government reports that SPI regularly reviews and digests.

On the subject of natural resource availability and cost, today’s popular media often paints a gloomy picture of our nation’s future, suggesting a bleak and desolate America marked by scarcity, sky-high prices, rationing — an overall diminution of prosperity.

CRS says otherwise.

In a recent report, CRS puts U.S. combined reserves of natural gas, oil and coal ahead of every other country in the world at 1321 billion barrels of oil equivalent. And this doesn’t even encompass reserves in known but harder-to-access resources such as oil shale. Russia comes in a close second, at 1248 billion, but then the field drops off dramatically. Saudi Arabia? Third, at just 543 billion. China’s next at 494.

The technological know-how exists to develop these resources efficiently, cleanly and safely. Skeptical? Think about the offshore platforms that withstood Hurricane Katrina.

Long story short: the U.S. can create its own energy future. The only question is, will we? For our industry – dependent on these resources for both feedstocks and fuel – it’s a question that can have only one answer.

While the passing of Labor Day marks the formal end of summer, in Washington it also brings to conclusion a summer institution – the August Congressional recess.   As a seeming testament to Congress’ constitutional place as a co-equal branch of our government, and perhaps to the scope of its power and reach into the fabric of American life, D.C.’s commuters can mark the return of Congress by the uptick in traffic on roads and congestion in metro stations.

In the advocacy business, August is usually quiet in Washington… but this August was anything but typical.  The sheer number of major policy issues faced by the business community – and the plastics industry in particular – combined to make this August much, much different.  SPI spent the month communicating with its members on key issues  — from health care reform (and the burden of escalating employee health care costs for companies) to the impact that current climate change legislative proposals would have on manufacturing. (SPI President Bill Carteaux’s mid-month electronic letter to members detailed theses and others.)

And even though Members of Congress were back in their home states — where SPI members met with several, we were up on Capitol Hill, meeting with senior legislative staffers and talking about our industry’s priorities heading into the fall.  As one Congressman put it upon returning to D.C. this month, “my constituents are awake!”  With so many fundamental issues in play, we all are.

Here at SPI, grassroots mobilization efforts have always centered on member companies making connections with their elected officials. They still will, but there’s another dimension to this. Going forward, a more comprehensive SPI approach to grassroots advocacy will also underscore communication within the plastics industry value chain and with its all-important employees — two groups inextricably linked to our member companies’ future success.  

Writing in May, I highlighted BIPAC’s leading-edge research in employer/employee communication, and shared a few data points that underscore the mutual value realized when employers take the time to engage employees on policy issues — global, federal, state and local — that affect the company’s bottom line.

Value chain communication is equally important.  Engaging a supplier or customer on common issues helps amplify our industry’s voice — and multiplies our ability to affect legislative and regulatory outcomes for the better.  Need an example?  How about the cost of employer-provided health care that’s currently being debated in Washington?  SPI member companies continue to struggle against the burden of ever-escalating employee health care costs.  SPI must rally lawmakers to find solutions that increase competition in insurance markets, drive down health care costs, and rein in runaway litigation, not increase the tax burden on businesses providing employee health care.

In the coming weeks and months, SPI will be rolling out more and more materials to guide members through this important activity.  Much will be enabled through our website, so keep an eye out.