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Holiday cheer for those impacted by hurricanes . . . SPI member Jack Riopelle (of Wisconsin Film & Bag, Inc., Green Bay, WI; and Southern Film & Bag, Inc., Summit, MS) this week will lead a team of more than 40 Wisconsin-area business members to Mississippi to serve Thanksgiving dinners to more than 500 residents and local volunteers affected by Hurricane Katrina. SPI Film and Bag Federation Executive Director Donna Dempsey will also join the team. "This is another way to help people who have virtually nothing as a result of the hurricane," said Riopelle. The effort is funded by Riopelle's volunteer organization, Wisconsin Cares about Mississippi, with coordination and logistical support from the Salvation Army, local churches and Southwest Mississippi Community College. New name for SPI vinyl group . . . The Vinyl Formulators Division of the Society of The Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) changed its name to the Vinyl Products Division, in order "to broaden the division's appeal to a wider segment of the vinyl market," said division Executive Director Allen Weidman. "With a broader scope and purpose, we will be able to better serve our members through improved access to new technology and industry resources." For more information about the Vinyl Products Division, click here or contact Weidman at (202) 974-5233; e-mail: aweidman@socplas.org.
The Fantastic Plastic Works draws record crowds . . . and is so popular that Disney's market research team had to re-crunch their numbers for the 2005-2006 season. Previous Disney research found that visitors spend and average of 30 minutes in all of INNOVENTIONS; but recent polls found guests spend an average of 35 minutes in SPI's exhibit alone! A full 35 percent of INNOVENTIONS guests spend more than 45 minutes in SPI's exhibit. For more information about SPI Link, mailing list additions/deletions, or to receive the publication by e-mail, contact Paula Weis, (202) 974-5282; e-mail pweis@socplas.org. More About SPI: Vision and Mission . Membership . Business Units . Regional Offices . News and Publications . Calendar of Events . Terms and Conditions of Use |
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Setback for natural gas . . . To the shock and disappointment of the plastics, chemical and other manufacturing industries, critical provisions that would have allowed oil and natural gas drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were dropped from the House budget reconciliation bill after at least 22 "moderate" House Republicans said they would oppose the legislation. Nevertheless, SPI, ACC, NAM and other key industries will continue to press the issue. Sens. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Pete Domenici (R-NM) - who will both serve on the House-Senate conference committee reconciling the budget bills - have "made it clear they will not agree to any final measure that does not include Arctic drilling." Meanwhile, Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) introduced a new bill (H.R. 4318) to repeal the offshore moratoriums on natural gas drilling. Peterson's proposal is more far-reaching than the one dropped from the House budget bill - it would repeal all congressional moratoriums and preclude new natural gas drilling within 20 miles of a state's coastline. No vote on the bill has yet been scheduled, but his action keeps the natural gas issue alive in the House.
Easing OSHA rules . . . Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, introduced three bills that would authorize the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to implement voluntary, solutions-oriented safety initiatives for small companies, in place of burdensome regulations and standards. The bills ["The Occupational Safety Partnership Act" (S. 2065); "The Occupational Safety Fairness Act" (S. 2066) and "The HazCom Simplification and Modernization Act" (S. 2067)] among other provisions, would direct inspectors to impose individual vs. one-size-fits-all" regulations for small business, provide restoration of attorney's fees by small businesses that pursue successful legal claims against the government, and waive penalties for non-serious violations if they are promptly corrected. SPI fully supports these bills.
France 'softens' bag ban . . . Europe's plastics industry successfully persuaded the French Senate to vote for a compromise bill that would outlaw only nonbiodegradable, single-use, light carrier bags distributed at supermarket checkouts, significantly scaling back the original proposal passed by the lower house (the French Assembly), which would have banned all nonbiodegradable plastic bags by 2012. The more limited regulation, which would allow the use of carrier bags in smaller specialty shops, such as fish and vegetable markets, would come into effect in 2010. A special commission will review the amended legislation before it returns to the Assembly for final passage by December 14. 
Fantastic Plastics Works huge success . . . Since its grand opening in October 2004, more than 230,000 visitors have experienced the Fantastic Plastics Works, SPI's 5,000-sq.-ft. plastics industry showcase at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot ® at the Walt Disney World ® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The Fantastic Plastics Works receives the most consistent praise in Disney market research when compared to all other INNOVENTIONS exhibits, and Disney research has shown that 47 percent of all INNOVENTIONS visitors say they are likely to seek more information on exhibit sponsor companies when they return home. What's more, exhibit visitors are more apt to retain positive impressions of plastics. For example, 71 percent of Fantastic Plastics Works visitors say they couldn't live without plastics; previous research has shown that 63 percent of the general public say the same. Seventy-eight percent of exhibit visitors believe plastics help keep their family healthy and safe, while 68 percent of non-visitors believe the same. And 87 percent of exhibit visitors believe plastics can be recycled - only 80 percent of the general public agree. To join the list of contributors whose generosity and vision are helping to bring the magic of plastics to the world, contact Paula Weis, 
Carteaux named Purdue "Old Master" . . . SPI President Bill Carteaux visited the Purdue campus this fall as part of the 2005 Purdue University Old Masters program, which each year brings ten outstanding leaders from across the country to interact with Purdue students. Created in 1950, the Purdue Old Masters Program invites ten "successful and outstanding" business leaders and other individuals each year to visit the Purdue campus to share ideas and experiences with current students. Old Masters are chosen by a committee of twelve Purdue students and a faculty advisor. "To be part of this great tradition is truly an honor," said Carteaux, a Purdue alumnus. "I remember the excitement the Old Masters' visits to campus used to create when I was an undergraduate." 
SPI to co-sponsor international symposium on biobased plastics . . . SPI will co-sponsor an international symposium on degradable and biobased polymers immediately before and in the same city as NPE 2006 to spotlight the growing demand for these innovative products. The "International Degradable Plastics Symposium: Status of Biobased and Synthetic Polymer Technology" will take place in Chicago on June 14-17, 2006, to be followed by NPE on June 19-23. Presentations will cover technology, markets, applications, and legal and regulatory matters. "Since the last NPE in 2003, there has been a burst of innovation in degradable polymers, spurred on by the prospect of regulation as well as growing consumer preference," said Lynne Harris, SPI's vice president of science and technology. Harris will co-chair the program along with J.L. Willett and Greg Glenn of the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To register for the symposium, contact Nancy Jones at (202) 974-5267 or via email,