Extrusion International 3-2023-USA

33 Extrusion International 3/2022 Parts Competition Call for Entries – And Addition of Two New Categories The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoform- ing Division has announced a call for entries in its bien- nial Parts Competition, including two new categories that will feature innovations in the use of Sustainable Thermoforming, and also innovations in applications for electric vehicles (EV’s) and batteries. The submission deadline is September 23, 2023. Competition entries will be displayed on the exhibit hall floor during the 29th SPE Thermoforming Confer - ence®, which will be held October 23-26 at the Hun- tington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Awards for winning parts will be presented during the SPE Ther- moforming Awards Dinner on October 24, at the Cleve- land Marriott Downtown at Key Tower. Competition entrants may submit parts in seven cat- egories: • Roll-fed categories are Industrial, Medical, or Food. • Heavy-gauge categories are Vacuum Form, Pressure Form, and Twin Sheet. • Parts Produced with Recycled/Sustainable Materials. • Production Parts from 3D-Printed Tooling. • New this year: Parts Produced with Sustainable Thermoforming. • New this year: Parts Produced for Electric Vehicle (EV’s) and Battery Applications. “At our last conference in 2021, we introduced 3D printing as a new category for our parts competition,” said Travis Kieffer, 2023 SPE Thermoforming Conference Parts Competition Chair. “This year we’re pleased to open the competition to two new categories that are es- pecially timely: bioplastics, and EV/battery applications. We are seeking part entries that show innovative use of the thermoforming process for parts production.” Guidelines for Competition entrants and the required product entry form are posted online at https://thermoformingdivision.com/parts-competi- tion/guidelinesentry-form/ All product images and descriptions must be emailed to Travis Kieffer at travisk@plasticsunlimited.com by the September 23 deadline. Framework for Investment in Startups Focused on Carbon Neutrality Established Asahi Kasei established a “Care for Earth” investment framework as a new initiative for carbon neutrality by investing $100 million worldwide in early-stage startups that aim to solve issues in environmental fields such as hydrogen, energy storage, carbon management, and bio-based chemicals over the 5-year period up to fiscal year 2027. Since 2008, Asahi Kasei has advanced corporate venture capital (CVC) activities in order to create new businesses by investing in startups and performing joint developments with them. Based in Silicon Val- ley since 2011, this activity has facilitated investments in over 50 startups in the US, Europe, China, and Ja- pan, resulting in numerous collaborations and the two acquisitions of Crysal IS, a US-based provider of UVC LEDs for air, water and surface disinfection, and Swedish Senseair, a manufacturer of CO 2 and alcohol sensing solutions. Asahi Kasei is helping to solve issues in society with all of its businesses providing value from the perspectives of “Care for People” to realize active life in the new nor- mal and “Care for Earth” to realize a carbon neutral and sustainable world. Until now, Asahi Kasei has focused its CVC investments in the area of “Care for People” such as healthcare, IoT, and homes, which have relatively short timeframes to commercialization. The area of “Care for Earth,” in con- trast, tends to have longer-term commercial prospects, while fields such as hydrogen and energy storage lack established value chains, making it difficult to invest un - der the conventional framework. “Our CVC team is excited for the opportunity to accel- erate investments in early-stage startups hard at work to make a difference for our planet,” said Dr. Takashi Morishita, General Manager of Corporate Venture Cap- ital at Asahi Kasei. “We are seeing a lot of passionate people leading these decarbonization initiatives and it feels good to help them on their way. The ideas and technology being innovated now will be an invaluable asset in actualizing a carbon neutral society.” To achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, Asahi Kasei aims to reduce its own GHG emissions and to contribute to reducing GHG emissions throughout society, while cre- ating new businesses through the newly established “Care for Earth” investment framework whose invest- ment horizons and investment decision criteria are dif- ferent than before. The new investment framework is also expected to help Asahi Kasei advance the transfor- mation of its Material sector portfolio through partici- pation in business ecosystems for carbon neutrality. The Asahi Kasei Group aims to further contribute to sustainable society while achieving sustainable growth of corporate value by leveraging its accumulated tech- nologies and expertise while accelerating investment for Green Transformation (GX). Asahi Kasei Corporation www.asahi-kasei-plastics.com