A Polymer Scientist Wrestles — Literally and Figuratively — With the Frustrations of Plastic Packaging

A great new blog post published this week by Dr. Kate Beers, a polymer scientist who leads work on the circular economy for the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), says "Plastics and polymers are an essential part of life, but we can be more thoughtful about how much of them we use and discard."

Live now on the NIST blog, Beers details some challenges she sees in plastic packaging and celebrates what she sees as wins in packaging design.

Read the full post for Beers's descriptions of the work NIST is doing to support the supply chain by "setting a higher standard and empowering simpler, cleaner or less material in packaging." She also offers some interesting insights about the potential role for AI in this space.

Beers notes that NIST "is working to make strides in the circular economy — including the idea that everything we produce should have a pathway back to another life, rather than be simply thrown into a landfill or burned."

APR agrees with this idea – and with Beers's assertion that "we can do better — much better."

APR looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with NIST, as well as other government agencies and organizations on the challenge of plastic packaging – our world depends on it.

Read Beers's full blog post here.