An Ohio industry group wants to lead the world in sustainable polymer manufacturing and recycling. The Polymer Industry Cluster in Akron, a “coalition of Northest Ohio plastics companies, governments and universities,” is seeking “at least $40 million in federal funding to become a national technology hub for sustainable polymers,” Crain’s Cleveland reports. The group “secured $400,000 in seed money from Washington last year as part of a program to identify and support potential technology hubs around the country,” the article reports. The cluster was one of 31 programs nationwide to secure funding in a U.S. Department of Commerce program to identify those potential hubs.

Cluster members, “including materials supplier Avient Corp., said the group hopes to strengthen ties among the 500 plastics and rubber firms within an hour’s drive of Akron and help the industry transition to more sustainable plastics manufacturing.” That density is a strength for the region; Brian Anderson, vice president of the polymer industry cluster, said Northeast Ohio “is the densest grouping of plastic, polymer and rubber manufacturing in North and South America.” Suzie Graham Moore, economic development director for the city of Akron, said, “our pressure is to think about how the sustainability of polymers helps us become a world leader in not just the nation but the world’s economy so that we can think differently about the nature of plastics and how they can be recycled.” For more, read the full article (subscription may be required).

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