With new technology and developments around every corner, things move fast at Smart Plastic HQ. Keep up with everything right here.
We recently heard from Highlight Industries who completed a comparison test between traditional Stretch Film and SPTek ECLIPSE® Stretch Film. See what they had to say!
We pride ourselves on developing products that have all the beneficial properties of plastic without the added environmental damage. It’s essential that our products live up to not only our own customers’ standards – but also to their customers’ standards as well.We recently received the following testimonial from one of our customers and couldn't be more thrilled to hear it.
Highlight Industries:
“Highlight recently conducted comparative lab and load stability tests on two high-performance commercial stretch films, one made with Smart Plastic's SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology and another without the additive. All tests performed yielded statistically equivalent results, with no noticeable difference in the excellent performance properties of the commercial film, with or without the ECLIPSE® additive. These results are all the more impressive considering the ECLIPSE® content will reportedly render the stretch film capable of complete bio-assimilation. This is a real win for green technology in the stretch film industry.”
Tim Murtaugh founded Smart Plastic Technologies in 2016 after four decades of successful start-up enterprises.
As a true advocate for the health of our planet and its inhabitants, Tim has endeavored to build a strong leadership team that will take Smart Plastic to new heights.
Since Smart Plastic’s founding, Tim has led the management team in developing a global market presence. Different from management, leadership cannot be taught, although it may be learned and enhanced through experience. Honed through the challenges of business throughout the decades, Tim has developed and demonstrated strong leadership skills. He manages under the belief of leading by example, rolling up his sleeves, and inspiring others to engage in achieving a goal.
In addition to his sustainability work, Tim is a strong supporter of child advocacy and has received numerous awards as both a child advocate and philanthropist. He established the Second Chance Foundation and Second Chance Ranch, a home for teenage boys who are victims of abuse and neglect. Tim and his wife, Leslie, adopted a child from the Foundation and currently reside in Knoxville together.
Tim's entrepreneurial experience spans more than 50 years, ranging from decades in real estate development, launching the first consumer VOIP network prepaid calling card company in the US, to founding Smart Plastic Technologies in 2016. A true visionary, analytical thinker, and problem solver who enjoys an international reputation as an ethical and reliable businessman, Tim will establish and lead the Smart Foundation, which will sponsor scholarships to students pursuing an education in sustainability studies.
In 2026, Tim will establish and lead the Smart Foundation, which will sponsor scholarships to students pursuing an education in sustainability studies.
Smart Plastic Technologies has been working with LMPE since 2016 to conduct research and develop SPTek products. This technical partnership is integral to our work and company growth.
At Smart Plastic our partnerships are a fundamental support mechanism for our business. We are thrilled to highlight a key technical partner that we have been working with since the beginning to create and irrevocably prove our ECLIPSE® technology - LMPE, an eco-compatible polymeric materials laboratory based in Lucca, Italy.
Together with LMPE, Pisa University, CNR Laboratories, and other university bio-science labs, we designed and conducted the first-ever C-13 test to determine bio-assimilation in ECLIPSE®-enabled plastic. This bio-assimilation test conclusively tracks the origin of carbon within a closed environment using Carbon-13.
The methodology of the C-13 carbon labeling test is quite simple, it took degraded ECLIPSE® material and fed it to a colony of microorganisms in order to prove bio-assimilation. To track the amount of carbon given off during the test and the growth of the colony, proving bio-assimilation, the researchers used carbon labeling with Carbon-13 atoms. The carbon labeling showed that the locked hydro-carbon chains in the plastic broke down to an open carbon source which the colony of microorganisms could use as a fuel source, breaking the material down completely with no microplastics left.
Wikipedia describes carbon labeling as such:
Carbon labeling is a form of isotopic labeling where a carbon-12 atom has been replaced with either a carbon-13 atom or a carbon-14 atom in a chemical compound so as to 'tag' that position of the compound to assist in determining the way a chemical reaction proceeds.
We began working with LMPE in 2016 to conclusively prove our revolutionary ECLIPSE® technology. We are delighted that such a reputable laboratory is one of our technical partners and we look forward to working with LMPE as we continue to better plastic for the future of our planet and its inhabitants.
About LMPE
LMPE (Ecosustainable Polymeric Materials Laboratory) srl Benefit Company is an Italian Innovative Start-up and is an affiliated Spin-off to INSTMThe National Inter-University Consortium of Materials Science and Technology. LMPE’s mission is aimed at the research & development of materials, processes, and technologies in the field of polymeric materials, and semi-finished and eco-friendly finished products.
Understanding the importance of the circular economy, LMPE is a member of the ICESP (Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform). LMPE uses a set of modern equipment in collaboration with the INSTM Consortium and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the Pisa University.
The following tests are completed at LMPE:
Show a warm welcome to our newest Sales Specialist. Bill will be focused on generating commercial sales of ECLIPSE® Stretch Film.
Smart Plastics Technologies is pleased to announce the addition of Bill Flynn as a new Sales Specialist. Bill shares the corporate mission and passion for environmental sustainability and is ready to work alongside the Smart Plastic team to transform how our world uses and discards plastic.
As a Sales Specialist, Bill will be focusing on generating commercial sales of ECLIPSE® Stretch Film. For the remainder of 2022, Bill hopes to meet and surpass his own personal business goals, while intimately studying, and potentially selling, the complete line of SPTek polymer additives.
Bill’s previous experience includes the founding of his own Manufacturers Representative Agency with a concentration on flexible packaging where he engineered the building of a global buy/sell platform for PPE products. In keeping with his entrepreneurial spirit, Bill also founded a boutique consultancy firm that originated and placed debt and equity positions for startup companies and Joint Venture Partnerships.
Bill’s additional experience includes distribution sales in paper and commercial printing on a national and global level while creating a profitable and ongoing book of business with a major blue-chip distributor based out of NYC and New Jersey. Bill is centrally located in Chicago just outside the Smart Plastic corporate headquarters in Buffalo Grove, IL.
With over 40 years of experience in the Packaging and Printing world, Marty Sychowski brings high-level expertise to the Smart Plastic team as a Senior Sales Packaging Consultant.
Marty is focused on West Coast sales for Smart Plastic and prides himself on being a market educator in addition to his sales role. He also plays a pivotal role in Smart Plastic’s Market Development for both additives and bio-based resin opportunities.
Marty has three main goals for the remainder of 2022; establish an extensive ECLIPSE® Stretch Film end-user customer base, find three new product opportunities for SPTek additives, and expand his knowledge and participation in closed-loop and PCR solutions for the recycling market.
Marty is dedicated and passionate about the development of new packaging solutions and has been fortunate to be a part of several packaging organizations in senior sales positions including All American Containers and Diablo Valley Packaging.
Marty currently resides in northern California where his care and concern for the environment overlaps with his many hobbies including fishing, gardening, hiking, and working with livestock.
To reach out to Marty, please visit our Contact page.
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in our Planet’. Read how we're prioritizing the future of our planet through various initiatives below.
While the first Earth Day was hosted in 1970, it was not recognized worldwide for another 20 years. Now 32 years since Earth Day went global, more than a billion people mark the day to show support for the continual protection of our planet and its inhabitants.
Earth Day calls upon individuals, governments, organizations, and all sizes of companies, to reflect on the ways they impact our planet and its hundreds of ecosystems. At Smart Plastic we grasp and actively invest in the future of our planet every day.
We’re investing in our planet so future generations of people and creatures can thrive in a flourishing and healthy world.
In partnership with Sigma Plastics Group, we are thrilled to announce the production expansion of Sigma Stretch VANISH, which is powered by our SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology.
In partnership with Smart Plastic Technologies, Sigma Stretch announced today they are expanding the production of Sigma Stretch VANISH, powered by SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, to all five production facilities across North America. The initial launch of this product, which was rolled out to selected Sigma Stretchdistributors in late 2021, generated tremendous interest from brand owners who wanted to take action towards their sustainability goals. Switching to Sigma Stretch VANISH or SPTek ECLIPSE® Stretch Film ensures that they will not add to the accumulation of plastic waste in the environment if the stretch film is not properly recycled.
Mark Teo, CEO and President of Sigma Plastics said:
“We evaluated numerous products to provide an option for our customers that would take care of any of our products that were not properly recycled and leaked into the environment. We selected Smart Plastic and their patent-pending SPTek ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology because it proved best-in-class. Expanding production and taking our partnership with Smart Plastic to new levels will be a tremendous highlight of 2022 for Sigma Plastics as we continue striving for environmentally responsible products and practices.”
Jay Tapp, President and COO of Smart Plastic Technologies, added:
“The Smart Plastic team is tremendously proud to partner with long-standing industry leader Sigma Plastics Group on a number of important sustainability initiatives. Our latest collaboration with Sigma Stretch was the development of a range of ECLIPSE® enabled hand and machine stretch films. Despite the impact of COVID-19, we built a strong partnership with Sigma Stretch, successfully launching ECLIPSE® Stretch Film at Pack Expo 2021 in Las Vegas, and presenting at the 2021 AMI Stretch & Shrink Conference on the impact of plastic waste and closed-loop recycling. We are thrilled that the initial response has ignited a need for production expansion and look forward to continuing our work with Sigma Stretch throughout 2022.”
The initial launch of Sigma Stretch VANISH followed a period of intense efficacy and performance testing that determined ECLIPSE® enabled stretch films performed identically to the original products. The launch produced over 500,000 pounds of stretch film which was allocated to various Sigma Stretch distributors. Additional distributors could order Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE® Stretch Film directly from Smart Plastic Technologies. With the production expansion, Sigma Stretch estimates that an additional 30 million pounds of Sigma Stretch VANISH will be available for distributors throughout 2022. First and foremost, SPTek ECLIPSE® enabled stretch film is designed to be recycled. However, if it evades the recycling system, following a guaranteed functional life span of 2-years, the stretch film will completely bio-assimilate within 6-24 months, resulting in zero microplastics.
Tim Murtaugh, Founder of Smart Plastic Technologies, added:
“As the urgency for responsible and sustainable products increases within the world of plastics, we are grateful to be partnered with such a reputable organization as Sigma Plastics Group. We look forward to seeing the monumental benefits of this partnership manifest.”
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This partnership aims to enhance the sustainability of hygiene and medical nonwovens, which are integral components of personal and professional health care products.
PFNonwovens and Smart Plastic Technologies announced that they have signed an exclusive joint development agreement for the use of Smart Plastic’s patent-pending SPTek ECLIPSE® technology in PFNonwovens’ hygiene and medical nonwoven products.
Tonny de Beer, Chief Product, Technology and Sustainability Officer of PFNonwovens commented:
“We are very excited for this joint development partnership with Smart Plastic Technologies. Our initial work together has already shown that we can use the ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology on pilot-scale equipment. Now, our focus is to optimize the formulation for nonwovens to ensure performance and meet end-of-life goals.”
He added:
“Nonwoven fabrics have become a critical part of everyday life, and this technology has the makings of a breakthrough solution. Diapers, Fem Care and Adult Incontinence products are integral to how we care for ourselves and for each other. The pandemic has reinforced once again how nonwoven gowns and face masks save and protect lives. At the same time, it is imperative to find better solutions to deal with the post-use nonwoven waste and associated environmental problems. We envision that SPTek ECLIPSE® enabled nonwovens will be a high-impact solution.”
Jay Tapp, President & COO of Smart Plastic, added:
“Smart Plastic and PFNonwovens are aligned on developing environmentally-responsible solutions as we transition to a more sustainable economy. SPTek ECLIPSE®️ bio-assimilation is a proven technology that has been used commercially across several industries both in the USA and around the world to significantly reduce the impact plastic has on the environment. Our strategic partnership with PFNonwovens represents an important step in Smart Plastic’s mission to reduce plastic waste and help prevent further damage to the environment.”
Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE® accelerates the bio-assimilation of polypropylene and polyethylene polymers at the end of a product’s guaranteed life span in terrestrial, marine, and landfill environments. The revolutionary ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology steadily reduces and modifies the polymer chains to enable the assimilation of these molecules by microorganisms, transforming the material into biomass, CO2, and water. The technology is FDA approved, 100% recyclable, and has already been commercialized by Smart Plastic Technologies in various industries.
Tim Murtaugh, CEO & Founder of Smart Plastic Technologies, also commented:
“We are very pleased to join forces with leading companies like PFNonwovens on our journey to create a legacy of true global sustainability. We are delighted to have an opportunity to build a strong working relationship with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sophisticated nonwovens.”
Tasked with elevating new and ongoing strategic partnerships, Michael brings over 20 years of experience to the Smart Plastic team.
Ahead of a busy year, Smart Plastic has tapped Consumer Products Executive Michael Scanlan to head strategic partnerships for the company. This hire comes on the heels of a successful 2021 where the company experienced record growth across all metrics.
Scanlan will be responsible for managing the Company’s key strategic partnerships which have been formally developed from several years of intense development work. In this role, Scanlan will be leading the sales and business development efforts in support of Smart Plastic Technologies’ three mission-critical cornerstones: ECLIPSE® bio-assimilation technology, bio-based resin systems, and closed-loop recycling programs. Scanlan will be working collaboratively with strategic partners to help them achieve their sustainability goals by reducing the environmental impact of plastic.
Jay Tapp, President & COO of Smart Plastic Technologies:
“We are thrilled to have Michael join the Smart Plastic team. Michael brings a wealth of leadership and expertise in both B2B and B2C brand development. Michael will lead and guide our strategic partner programs nationally and globally, and immediately gives Smart Plastic a west coast -- Los Angeles -- base of operations.”
About Michael Scanlan
Michael Scanlan has enjoyed a fast-paced career partnering with various consumer products companies to build brands, transform relationships, and delight consumers. With leadership experiences ranging from ground floor start-ups to global multi-nationals, Michael’s executive experience includes SVP of Sales at Diamond Wipes Intl. Inc., VP of Sales for Advanced Bio Development Inc., Global Team Lead at Nestle Waters, and Director of Sales for the Sweet Leaf Tea Company.
The multi-year co-development and co-marketing agreement will be the first of its kind in the baby lifestyle market as demand for sustainable products reaches a new high.
CHICAGO, IL (January 26, 2022) - Aligned on the growing importance of environmentally responsible products in the baby and toddler market, Smart Plastic Technologies and Munchkin, Inc. announced today that they have signed an exclusive joint development agreement to create baby lifestyle products using Smart Plastic’s patent-pending ECLIPSE® technology. This partnership will introduce revolutionary consumer goods to the baby and toddler market, which is estimated to be worth USD 25 billion by 2028.
Jay Tapp, President & COO of Smart Plastic Technologies stated:
"Plastic waste is a planetary and societal crisis. Munchkin grasps the gravity of our global environmental situation. Our partnership with Munchkin, an influential and respected market and thought leader in semi-durable consumer goods, will directly result in a significant reduction of plastic waste and help reverse the damage that has been done to our environment.”
Steven Dunn, CEO & Founder of Munchkin, added:
“Through our partnership with Smart Plastic, Munchkin is committed to a development process that considers the complete use and lifecycle of our products from ideation to disposal. The goal of our partnership is to make as many Munchkin products as possible disappear after their useful life. With Smart Plastic’s SPTek ECLIPSE® technology, our products can still be recycled, but if they find their way into landfills or waterways, they fully break down resulting in zero microplastics. Now is the time to act. Our planet, our children, and their children need us to make the change now.”
Approximately 91% of plastic is not recycled and ends up in our forests, oceans, and landfills for generations. Understanding the urgency to create a higher level of awareness and a ‘call to action,’ the partnership between Smart Plastic and Munchkin will lead the way for companies in every aspect of the supply chain. Each organization sees the need to adopt circular economic models for the betterment of our planet and will leverage the expertise on both sides to have the ultimate impact. This strategic partnership contributes to each company’s impactful approaches and commitments to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Tim Murtaugh, CEO & Founder of Smart Plastic Technologies, also commented:
“Our strategic partnership with Munchkin represents another important step in Smart Plastic’s mission to join forces with leading companies on our journey to create a legacy of true global sustainability. We are delighted to have this opportunity to build a strong working relationship with a company that enjoys a global reputation for quality products and brilliant leadership. The adventure continues!”
About Smart Plastic
Founded in 2016, Smart Plastic is revolutionizing the potential of plastic to improve the environment for future generations. Their flagship bio-assimilation technology, SPTek ECLIPSE®, enables polyolefins like polyethylene and polypropylene to completely bio-assimilate at the end of the pre-programmed functional life, resulting in zero microplastics. This represents a key and critical aspect of the company’s commitment to plastic lifecycle management. All Smart Plastic technologies are designed to alter the very nature of plastic for the benefit of both people and the planet. Proudly made in the United States, all Smart Plastic products are 100% recyclable, FDA approved, and purposely designed for the circular and regenerative economies.
About Munchkin
Munchkin, Inc., is based in Los Angeles, California and has provided parents with innovative products for over 30 years. A global leader in children’s feeding & care products, Munchkin has 303 patents to date and has earned more than 180 international product and brand design awards in the past several years alone. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact, Munchkin’s ongoing commitment to environmental protection and animal welfare is reinforced through its numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives and its annually published Sustainability Report. Munchkin products are sold in more than 45 countries around the world and have received over 1 million five-star reviews. Munchkin is on a mission to be the most loved baby lifestyle brand in the world. www.munchkin.com
Media Contact
Alyssa WadeyCommunications Manager, Remote Brandalyssa@remotebrand.com
