Dow showcases circular and innovative materials science solutions and industry collaborations at Chinaplas 2024

• Partnership with Sealed Air aims to develop more e-commerce packaging with increased recycled content
• Partnership with Changchun FAWSN will promote lightweight polyolefin elastomer (POE) artificial leather solution in automotive market

MIDLAND, Mich., May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow (NYSE: DOW), announced two new partnerships at Chinaplas 2024 to develop solutions that meet both performance and circular demands.

In collaboration with Dow, Sealed Air has commercialized an e-commerce packaging with increased recycled content. With the partnership, both parties will work together to develop more e-commerce packaging using Dow's REVOLOOP™ post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins, offering an effective way to protect products while also reducing carbon footprint through less use of virgin plastics.

Dow and Changchun FAWSN Automotive Technology Research and Development Co., Ltd. also announced a new collaboration to explore applications of polyolefin elastomer (POE) artificial leather and POE-based 3D Loop solutions in the automotive industry. POE artificial leather is 25% to 40% lighter in weight than PVC leather and offers performance benefits without the use of hazardous materials.

The announcements were made at Dow's customer event held alongside Chinaplas 2024, the region's largest plastics industry tradeshow held in Shanghai from 23 to 26 April. At this event, Dow also showcased its Asia Pacific portfolio of innovative materials science solutions that help enable circularity and low carbon.

Centered around Dow's sustainability commitments to Protect the Climate, Transform the Waste and Close the Loop, the showcase featured solutions that are both high-performing and designed for circularity.

"With many local and regional brands going global, Asia has taken centerstage as a dynamic growth hub," said Bambang Candra, commercial vice president for Asia Pacific, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. "Our commitment to innovation allows us to meet the evolving needs of customers seeking more sustainable and circular products. No single company can change the industry alone, and we continually drive collaboration with value chain partners to design for recyclability at the beginning of a product's life cycle so that plastic waste can be transformed into a valuable resource to be reused."

Other Dow solutions that were highlighted include:

Flexible packaging designed for circularity: Mono-material all-PE stand-up pouches which are designed for recyclability enable packaging to be more easily integrated into closed-loop recycling streams. Additionally, our vacuum metallized all-PE packaging solutions enable design for recyclability and high barrier performance to co-exist, delivering a balance of sustainability and performance.

REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastics Resins: Several grades of post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins available in China and across Asia enrich Dow's portfolio of mechanically recycled products that can be used in personal care packaging, artificial turf and other consumer product packaging.

Bio-based and circular feedstock solutions: LVMH Beauty is the first user of SURLYN™ REN and SURLYN™ CIR, two new sustainable ionomers grades which pioneer the use of renewable and circular feedstocks in cosmetics packaging. Dow also supplies Crocs footwear with bio-based polyolefin elastomers (POEs) produced with renewable energy and plant-based feedstocks such as used cooking oil, enabling the footwear industry to reduce carbon footprint without compromising on performance.

Polyolefin elastomer (POE)-based leather for automotive: Addressing the automotive industry's shift towards animal-free products, while delivering benefits such as ultra-soft tactility, better color stability, good aging and low temperature resistance, elimination of hazardous materials as well as 25% to 40% lighter in weight than PVC leather.

As part of enhancing industry engagement, Dow experts also spoke at several Chinaplas fairground activities such as Tech Talks, Circular Economy Conference, World Trends & Plastics & Rubber Technology Summit and the Applications in Focus forum, sharing insights on enabling flexible packaging for circularity as well as low-carbon solutions for automotive and photovoltaic applications.

As part of Dow's Transform the Waste sustainability target, the company aims to transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstock to commercialize 3 million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030. Dow also plans to make 100% of the packaging applications we sell into to be reusable or recyclable by 2035.

Dow will work with Procter & Gamble to develop a new proprietary recycling technology targeting hard-to-recycle plastic waste. The technology aims to deliver high quality post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based polyethylene.

Additionally, Dow's global investment to build the world's first net zero ethylene and derivatives complex in Alberta, Canada is expected to decarbonize 20% of Dow's global ethylene capacity, enabling Dow to become the industry's first provider of zero-emissions products and solutions.

About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of Dow (NYSE: DOW), combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver high performing technologies for end use markets in food packaging, personal hygiene, infrastructure, consumer goods and transportation. P&SP is one of the world's largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives, and enabled by Pack Studios, is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain on sustainable application development and circular economy life-cycle design for plastics. www.dowpackaging.com

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world's leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

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SOURCE The Dow Chemical Company