"Gitto Global has already commercialized some nanocomposite
plastic compounds that provide significant advantages over
traditional flame-retardant packages, including greater
strength, lower overall weight and are more environmentally
friendly from a recycle and halogen-exposure standpoint," said
Peter Maul, president of Nanocor. "With closer co-operation, we
expect to see products for a wider variety of polyolefins and
the use of nanotechnology in more applications."  The companies
say that the composites, which incorporate plastics such as
polypropylene and EVA (ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer), use
significantly smaller quantities of traditional flame-retardant
additives. As a result, the materials have a lower specific
gravity and greater strength, while "maintaining superior flame
resistance".  Nanocor, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMCOL
International, claims to be the largest global supplier of
nanoclays specifically designed for plastic nanocomposites. The
company began commercial nanoclay production i