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Plastics Supply Chain Disruption: Sourcing Alternative Materials

How can plastic manufacturers seek alternatives in raw materials to keep business moving forward?

A hand catching red plastic pellets

March 16, 2021

While the recent unprecedented storm in Texas has passed, the disruption to the plastics manufacturing business lingers on. The effects of the pandemic have left plastic raw materials in short supply. From shutdown of production plants to transportation delays, the ripple effects of plastic shortage throughout the supply chain has hindered many manufacturers from fulfilling their customers’ orders for essential end-products, such as electrical components and consumer goods. Beyond scarcity of raw materials, jobs in the manufacturing and transportation industries have also been impacted, further crippling production. As a result, manufacturers are urgently seeking solutions for material substitution. UL can help.

We have the tools to help you mitigate your supply chain challenges      

  • Join us for a complimentary webinar, Managing Your Supply Chain Disruptions: Material Substitutions on March 24, 2021. Watch here. Webinar topics include:
    • For plastic users:
      • Methods to evaluate comparable materials
      • How to analyze applications for your materials
      • Considerations for end-product certification related to material substitutions
      • Utilizing UL Product iQ® and Prospector® tools to identify possible materials as candidates for substitution
    • For plastic manufacturers:
      • Obtaining expedited recognition of a material using UL’s polymer variation program
      • Utilizing the Prospector® database to identify possible polymeric ingredients for substitution in material formulations
    • Q&A with a UL plastics expert
  • Contact our UL Customer Advocacy team for support:
    • For plastic manufacturers, connect with a UL plastics expert by clicking the "Contact us" button at the top of the page
    • Click here for support for your end-product 
    • Obtain an expedited quote for material substitution evaluations
  • Access UL Product iQ® to quickly locate certified products and components 
  • Access Prospector®, our leading materials and ingredients search engine, to help source alternatives 
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