MIDLAND, Mich. – August 20, 2020 – Creating a unique look and feel for any major sporting event – especially the Olympic Games – typically calls for signage and banners, to customize the experience and build the event atmosphere for athletes and fans alike. The Olympic Movement’s Official Chemistry Company Dow (NYSE: DOW) is working with Japanese company Toppan Printing to give such fabric – typically made with a few layers of different plastics and other materials that can be difficult to recycle – a second life, long after the closing ceremony.
VERSIFY™ Elastomer Technology from Dow is selected by Toppan Printing to create a new polyolefin (PO)-based fabric for temporary banners. All plastic parts – membrane, mesh, eyelet, yarn, etc. – are comprised only of polyolefins, and the new fabric also contains well-dispersed inorganic materials as filler. Because only one type of plastic is used to produce the fabric, recyclability is improved, especially when compared to the traditional tarpaulin commonly used for banners.
Once the events have concluded, Dow and Toppan intend to collect banners and signage that are made with its polyolefin-based materials and upcycle them into different products. Collected banners or signage will be re-palletized as a renewable resin, blended with timber from wood waste to produce wood-plastic composite materials for benches, floors and more.
"This initiative is a great example of combining Dow’s materials science expertise with our customers’ market insights to create an outcome that is great for the environment. Together, we can help the Olympic Games be even more sustainable,” said Nicoletta Piccolrovazzi, global sustainability & technology director, Dow Olympic & Sports Solutions. “Working hand-in-hand with Toppan Printing, we developed this polyolefin-based fabric especially for Tokyo 2020 to address the growing need to give plastic a second life.”
Toppan Printing’s product will be enhanced by the fabric with excellent optics, which generates a display surface that offers excellent clarity and “sparkle” to capture the attention of attendees.
“This project with Dow has enabled us to push beyond the traditional use and end-of-life of our products,” said Seiji Furuya, technical strategy and development manager in Toppan’s Information & Communication Division. “Recycling these Tokyo 2020 banners will showcase how collaborations such as ours can help society shift away from single-use plastics and reduce the amount of materials destined for incineration or landfills, to create something entirely new.”
Dow also recently committed to additional plastic recycling targets, including enabling 1 million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through its direct actions and partnerships.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. Dow is a Worldwide Partner and Official Chemistry Company of the Olympic Movement and the Official Carbon Partner of the International Olympic Committee. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
About Toppan
Toppan is a leading global provider of integrated solutions in the fields of printing, communications, security, packaging, décor materials, and electronics. Serving customers in every sector of business and industry, Toppan’s global team of more than 50,000 employees offers optimal solutions enabled by industry-leading expertise and technologies to address the diverse challenges that businesses and society face in today’s rapidly changing market.
For more information, visit https://www.toppan.com/en/ or follow Toppan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/toppan-printing/.
For further information, please contact:
Linda Lim
+65.9626.7662
llim2@dow.com
Beth Crisafi Smith
+1 212.697.2600
bcrisafi@gscommunications.com