MIDLAND, Mich. – Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announces the development of a new resin made with 70 percent recycled plastic. This innovative new solution, called AGILITY™ CE, is the first post-consumer recycled (PCR) product offering of Dow's plastics circularity portfolio to incorporate a high percentage of post-consumer plastic waste.
This new resin consists of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) into which recycled plastic shrink film is incorporated without sacrificing material quality and functionality in the final application.
“What is exciting about AGILITY™ CE is that previously mechanically recycled content has often diminished or degraded in quality,” stated Carsten Larsen, Commercial Recycling Director for Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business. “Here we have a consistent and high-quality product – taking back used shrink film directly from a retailer and using our material science to recreate a resin which can be used directly back into the same quality shrink film.”
This is the first grade of AGILITY™ CE and is intended for use in collation shrink films as secondary packaging for transportation of cans or bottles. It enables converters to incorporate more than 50 percent recycled content in the formulation of the final film, without altering its functionality. The availability of this high quality recyclate will help retailers and brand owners meet their sustainability goals while helping reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.
Dow continues to work towards a circular system, which would guarantee that secondary or transportation packaging films are recycled back into the same type of application. This innovation is another example of Dow’s strategy to enable a shift to a circular economy for plastics, by focusing on resource efficiency and integrating recycled content and renewable feedstocks into its production processes.
Dow also recently announced a partnership with the Fuenix Ecogy Group, based in Weert, The Netherlands, for the supply of pyrolysis oil feedstock, which is made from recycled plastic waste; and a partnership with UPM, to integrate a wood-based renewable naphtha into its slate of raw materials, creating an alternative feedstock source for plastics production.
Dow will be showcasing AGILITY™ CE, as well as many other technologies, to customers at K 2019 from 16-23 October in Dusseldorf, Germany.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines one of the broadest technology sets in the industry with asset integration, focused innovation and global scale to achieve profitable growth and become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of performance materials, industrial intermediates and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for our customers in high-growth segments, such as packaging, infrastructure and consumer care. Dow operates 113 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 37,000 people. Dow delivered pro forma sales of approximately $50 billion in 2018. 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.
For further information, please contact:
Judith Hicks
+41 44 728 2319
jchicks@dow.com