And then there's this little 'gem' ....
Fujitsu Computer Cases World's First to Use Plant-Based Plastic
Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories, Ltd. and Toray Industries, Inc. announced on January 13, 2005 that they have jointly developed the world's first large personal computer cases made of environmentally friendly bioplastics. The plastic is used in Fujitsu's spring 2005 model FMV-BIBLO NB80K notebook computers.
The material contains polylactic acid and is a bioplastic made from lactic acid derived from fermented starches and sugars from corn and potatoes. To use this plant-based material in computer cases and find further applications, the three companies have been working together to improve its heat and flame resistance. They faced difficulties, however, in using it in large cases and for mass production, due to the problems with molding the desired shapes, as it would turn from a hard glassy state to rubbery state at unacceptably low temperatures.
Since about 50 percent of the newly-developed plastic consists of natural materials, it can reduce the consumption of petroleum resources. When used in the case of notebook computers, it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 15 percent over the entire product life-cycle, compared to conventional petroleum-based resins.
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http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2005/20050113-01.html
Fujitsu and Toray Develop World's First Environmentally-Friendly Large-Size Plastic Housing for Notebook PCs
Facilitates reduction of both environmental burden and petroleum consumption
Tokyo, January 13, 2005 Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., and Toray Industries, Inc. today announced their joint development of the world's first large-size notebook PC plastic housing made of plant-based plastic with low environmental burden. The new environmentally-friendly plastic is used in Fujitsu's 2005 spring model FMV-BIBLO NB80K notebook PC.
The three companies plan to expand on various applications for this plastic, thereby further contributing to a reduction in the environmental burden as well as lower consumption of petroleum resources.
In recent years, environmental issues such as ozone depletion, air pollution, environmental pollution, and rapid increase of industrial waste and toxic waste, have emerged worldwide. To address these problems, there is a need for the development of a recycling-based society. Currently, various environmental laws and regulations are being legislated on a global scale, to reduce burden on the environment. The IT industry is no exception to these trends, and in Japan, environmental awareness is on the rise with a number of environmentally-related laws that been passed: the Law on Promoting Green Purchasing(1), the Law for the Promotion of Effective Utilization of Resources (2), and the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Law (3).
Use of fossil fuels, such as petroleum and coal, increases CO2 in the atmosphere and causes rapid spread of the greenhouse effect, resulting in an urgent need to reduce CO2 emissions.
Given these circumstances, there is increasing interest in applications of plastics created from plant materials, as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics which are limited in resource.
In June 2002, Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories announced the development of the world's first technology for plant-based plastics that could be used for small-size housing components in notebook PCs, using polylactic acid(4) derived from corn and other plants. This technology was used in one of Fujitsu's FMV-BIBLO notebook PC models.
Toray positions polylactic acid as an environmentally-friendly, advanced material and has been developing markets for fibers, textiles, plastics and films under the brand name Ecodear, while conducting ongoing research in ways to obtain better performance from polylactic acid.
In order to broaden the applications for plant-based plastics, the three companies have been improving the materials' heat resistance and flame retardance properties. The new material formerly was not suited for volume production and use in large-size housing, due to its use of polylactic acid which has low glass transition temperature(5), making it difficult to mold.
The companies have now developed a new type of plastic that uses polymer alloy technology(6) blending polylactic acid and a non-crystalline plastic with a high glass transition temperature as well as flame-retardant technology(7). These advances have resulted in a material with the heat resistance and flame retardance mandatory for a large-size housing for IT devices, which features easy moldability, making it suitable for mass production.
On the environmental front, the new plastic consists of roughly 50% natural products (including plant- based materials), reducing the use of petroleum resources. When used to manufacture a notebook PC, CO2 emissions over the product's entire lifecycle are reduced by roughly 15%, thereby further reducing the impact on the environment.
Fujitsu, Fujitsu Laboratories, and Toray plan to expand the range of uses for this new material as a way to further reduce overall environmental burden and consumption of petroleum resorces in the IT industry.