Spanish plastic research institute AIMPLAS recycled fishing nets and other marine litter into a 100% recycled plastic bench for the Marina of Valencia, with funding from CaixaBank and the Bancaja Foundation. 

Polyolefins producer Braskem announced it has invested in Atlanta-based chemical recycling company Nexus Circular. 

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) announced the formation of its Brands Leadership Council and its inaugural members: Starbucks, Keurig Dr Pepper, McDonald’s, Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive. 

LYCRA released THERMOLITE EcoMade fiber, a clothing insulation made from chemically recycled textiles scrap. 

Mexican petrochemical company Alpek bought PET sheet maker and thermoformer Octal Holding for $620 million. Octal’s Ohio facility uses RPET flake from thermoforming customers in North America.