- Partnership strengthens both companies’ commitment to achieving a circular economy in China
Shanghai, China – October 19, 2020 – Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announced that the INNATE™ TF Polyethylene Resins for Tenter Frame Biaxial Orientation (TF-BOPE) has been chosen by Liby, a leading laundry brand in China, for its packaging used to contain laundry pods. The first batch of the fully recyclable packaging is now available on its e-commerce flagship stores, Tmall.com. This collaboration further advances Dow’s new sustainability target to have 100 percent of its packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035.
The joint effort between Dow, Liby and Fujian Kaida enabled Liby to produce its fully recyclable laundry packaging for the laundry pods. Dow’s INNATE™ TF-BOPE was selected due to its all-polyethylene (PE) structure that allows the end-product to be recycled in existing recycle streams, strong material properties offering high toughness in order to reduce leakage during e-commerce transportation, as well as excellent optics for stand-up shelf appeal and touch and feel. Leading packaging manufacturer, Fujian Kaida, will be designing and producing the packaging for these Liby’s laundry pods.
“We are delighted to partner with Liby to pioneer fully recyclable laundry packaging in China. The country’s recent acceleration in achieving a green and sustainable environment has changed the way it tackles plastic waste, and this collaboration is a significant step in improving the recyclability and sustainability quotient in the packaging of laundry products for millions of households,” said Bambang Candra, Asia Pacific commercial vice president of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. “Through our advanced research and development capabilities, we strive to help brand owners like Liby take action and deliver on their sustainability commitments to close the loop for a circular economy, a greener planet and a better future.”
Zhang Liping, General manager of Liby Research and Development Center said, “As a leading laundry brand in China, Liby won consumers’ trust with high quality cleaning products and our belief in natural ingredients. Most of the laundry packaging in the market these days are non-recyclable, and as a brand, we feel responsible for reducing and eliminating plastic waste in our products. We are proud to embark on this journey with Dow through the fully recyclable INNATE™ TF-BOPE, minimizing the environmental impact of our packaging. This is especially timely with the government’s push towards a circular economy with Guangdong National Development and Reform Commission recent announcement of the new rules on limitations and ban on using plastic products.”
“We are thrilled to be supporting the introduction of China’s first fully recyclable laundry packaging alongside Dow and Liby. Dow’s INNATE™ TF-BOPE and film from Decro provided us with a unique design solution to create these fully recyclable packaging for Liby. At Kaida, environmental protection and manufacturing ecological products are a priority, and this opportunity illustrates the importance of collaboration and collective action in transforming how packaging is managed at its end of life,” commented Guo Tao, General manager, Fujian Kaida.
Earlier in July this year, Dow announced its innovative and revolutionary brand extension, TF Polyethylene Resins for Tenter Frame Biaxial Orientation (TF-BOPE) films, to its family of INNATE™ Precision Packaging Resins. INNATE™ TF-BOPE aims to address the global industry’s need for a high-performing, convenient and recyclable packaging material. Additionally, INNATE™ TF has been recognized as a ‘design for recyclability’ solution, enabling more plastic packaging to be recycled by allowing brands to design for recyclability right from the start.
As part of its 2025 Sustainability Goals, Dow is committed to collaborating with key stakeholders across the value chain to promote innovative and sustainable packaging solutions, driving the healthy and dynamic development of the plastics industry. INNATE™ TF-BOPE resins provide converters, brand owners and retailers with an innovative packaging solution that can achieve desired properties while being completely recyclable. This is possible because of the resins’ unique molecular architecture that demonstrates outstanding physical properties as compared to traditional polyethylene products. Additional information about INNATE™ TF Polyethylene Resins for Tenter Frame Biaxial Orientation and current success stories are available at www.dow.com/InnateTF.
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) 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. 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 Liby
Liby is a leading brand of household detergents in China. Since its establishment in 1994, its products have been well received by consumers. As a leader in the field of home care, Liby gathers world-class technology, owns "China Light Industry Green Detergents" key laboratory and industry academician expert workstation in the industry, and has obtained 98 invention patents, which is 2-5 higher than domestic counterparts sum. Liby is also one of the makers of China's washing and care industry standards, and has led or participated in the formulation.
For more information, please visit their website here.
About Fujian Kaida
KAIDA GROUP is a company that specializes in flexible packaging, raw material film, injection molding and medical device packaging. Through more than ten years development, Kaida Group has become an impactful flexible packaging corporation in China. There are 11 gravure printing lines, 2 flexo printing lines, 13 dry-lamination and solvent-free lamination lines, 1 extrusion lamination production line with double die head, more than 100 of bag-making lines, 11 PE film-blowing lines, over 20 injection molding lines and 2 cover-making lines as well as a GMP clean workshop at 100,000 level which can provide customers top-quality packaging of health and environmental protection in the field of food, pharmaceutical, daily chemicals and electronics etc. The company is approved by global standard of accreditation BRC, BV ，ISO9001. Our products have won many national technology prizes and good reputation in the industry. The company also established offices in East and South in China and overseas.
For further information, please contact:
Jolynn Yeo
Asia Pacific Business Communications Manager for Sustainability and Recycling for P&SP, Dow
J.Yeo@dow.com
Maria Socorro Tan
Manager, Golin Singapore
MTan@Golin.com