Dow unveiled two groundbreaking partnerships during Chinaplas 2024, signaling a pivotal stride towards addressing both performance and circularity demands.
Teaming up with Dow, Sealed Air has successfully launched an e-commerce packaging solution with heightened recycled content. Through this collaboration, the focus is on leveraging Dow’s REVOLOOP™ post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins to craft e-commerce packaging that safeguards products effectively while curbing carbon footprint by reducing the reliance on virgin plastics.
In another significant alliance, Dow joined forces with Changchun FAWSN Automotive Technology Research and Development Co., Ltd. to delve into the utilization of polyolefin elastomer (POE) artificial leather and POE-based 3D Loop solutions within the automotive sector. This innovative POE artificial leather boasts a weight reduction of 25% to 40% compared to PVC leather, offering performance advantages sans the use of hazardous materials.
These groundbreaking collaborations were unveiled at Dow’s customer event during Chinaplas 2024, the premier plastics industry tradeshow in the Shanghai region from April 23rd to 26th. At this event, Dow showcased its array of cutting-edge materials science solutions tailored to foster circularity and reduce carbon emissions across the Asia Pacific region.
Aligned with Dow’s sustainability commitments, encapsulated in its mission to Protect the Climate, Transform the Waste, and Close the Loop, the showcased solutions epitomized a fusion of high-performance attributes and circular design principles.
Bambang Candra, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics’ Commercial Vice President for Asia Pacific, emphasized the region’s burgeoning prominence as a nucleus of growth: “With many local and regional brands expanding globally, Asia has emerged as a vibrant growth hub. Our dedication to innovation empowers us to meet the evolving demands of customers striving for more sustainable and circular products. Recognizing that no single entity can revolutionize the industry alone, we consistently foster collaboration with value chain partners to ingrain recyclability into product design from inception, thereby transforming plastic waste into a valuable reusable resource.”
Among the highlighted Dow solutions were:
- Flexible packaging engineered for circularity: Mono-material all-PE stand-up pouches, designed for recyclability, facilitate seamless integration into closed-loop recycling systems. Furthermore, Dow’s vacuum metallized all-PE packaging solutions strike a harmonious balance between recyclability and high barrier performance, underscoring sustainability alongside functionality.
- REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastics Resins: A diverse range of post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins, accessible in China and across Asia, enriches Dow’s portfolio of mechanically recycled products, catering to various applications like personal care packaging and consumer product packaging such as artificial turf.
- Bio-based and circular feedstock solutions: SURLYN™ REN and SURLYN™ CIR, two novel sustainable ionomer grades, mark a milestone in cosmetics packaging by incorporating renewable and circular feedstocks. Additionally, Dow supplies bio-based polyolefin elastomers (POEs) to Crocs footwear, derived from renewable energy and plant-based feedstocks like used cooking oil, enabling the footwear industry to slash carbon footprint while upholding performance standards.
- Polyolefin elastomer (POE)-based automotive leather: Addressing the automotive sector’s shift towards cruelty-free products, Dow’s POE-based leather offers an array of benefits including ultra-soft tactility, superior color stability, robust aging resistance, and reduced weight compared to PVC leather, all without compromising on performance or resorting to hazardous materials.
In a bid to enhance industry collaboration, Dow experts contributed insights across various Chinaplas fairground activities including Tech Talks, Circular Economy Conference, World Trends & Plastics & Rubber Technology Summit, and the Applications in Focus forum. Their presentations shed light on enabling flexible packaging for circularity and propounding low-carbon solutions for automotive and photovoltaic applications.
As part of Dow’s Transform the Waste sustainability initiative, the company aims to commercialize 3 million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030, while striving to ensure that 100% of the packaging applications they sell are reusable or recyclable by 2035.
Furthermore, Dow is collaborating with Procter & Gamble to pioneer a proprietary recycling technology targeted at hard-to-recycle plastic waste, aiming to produce high-quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based polyethylene.
Lastly, Dow’s global investment in constructing the world’s first net-zero ethylene and derivatives complex in Alberta, Canada, is poised to decarbonize 20% of the company’s global ethylene capacity, positioning Dow as a frontrunner in providing zero-emissions products and solutions.
