The annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas starts Tuesday. Hot this year are products that focus on sustainability.

Circularise, an information technology company out of Holland, is creating digital versions of plastic materials that manufacturers can then use to share details on products. It's described as a "plastics traceability solution," using by blockchain technology — technology that makes it possible to encrypt a block of linked information and send with a timestamp attached.

Instead of sending out actual plastic samples, as an example, the potential manufacturing clients would use blockchain technology as a substitute, with the goal of getting plastics molders and manufacturers to operate more sustainably. The project is being developed by suppliers companies in Germany and the Netherlands

"We have to come to this more like a circular system where we think about how resources can be saved from the get go and potentially not even be used because consumers start questioning how many products they actually need in order to sustain a good lifestyle," said Sabrina Helm, who researches global sustainable consumption at the University of Arizona.

CES runs Jan. 7 through 10.