Oct 29, 2026 | 4 minute read
Learn how we make the world a better place as Team Dow. Through respect and integrity, we lead with our core values and innovative spirit to create more sustainable materials science solutions for everyone.
Discover how we’re accelerating positive change around the world. Dow is making a difference in the communities where we live and work.
Find the latest press releases, news updates, awards and achievements from Dow and stay connected on the impact we’re making in the world.
Explore key collaborations and why we make partnership our passion. Through initiatives and sponsorships, we can work together to create a more positive impact for all.
Team Dow makes us one of the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science companies in the world. Find opportunities to join Dow in a capacity that works best for you.
Everyday products can look simple. The science behind them is anything but.
From food packaging to the technology we rely on every day, performance often depends on innovations we rarely see.
Behind the Breakthrough takes a closer look at the materials science working behind the scenes to help solve complex, real-world challenges. Each story explores the changing demands shaping an industry, the trade-offs that make progress challenging, and how science and collaboration can help turn possibilities into practical solutions.
Go behind the breakthrough to discover how materials science is helping everyday products do more.
Food packaging has a big job
Food packaging is part of everyday life. It shows up on grocery shelves, in warehouses, meal kits, delivery bags and on front porches.
And when packaging does its job well, most people never notice.
But expectations are changing. People want to know: Is the food fresh? Is it protected? Is the package easy to open and reseal? And what happens to the package after the last bite?
Meeting those expectations is not simply a packaging challenge. It is a materials science challenge with an impact on everyday life.
The packaging balancing act
Food packaging has to multitask. Make the package lighter, but keep the food protected. Design it for recyclability, but maintain barrier performance. Add convenience, but make sure the package can still be produced efficiently across different shapes, sizes and formats.
Finding the right balance requires materials and package structures that can help meet multiple performance needs at once.
Protection from shelf to doorstep
Food can travel long distances, moving through warehouses, grocery shelves, delivery systems and ultimately into consumers’ homes. Along the way, packaging has an important role to play. Depending on the application, the right materials can support freshness, package durability and the protection food needs throughout its journey.
Performance meets efficiency
Making a package lighter can help improve material efficiency, but the package still needs to perform. Materials science can help packaging designers explore ways to balance the amount of material used with the barrier properties, durability and other performance requirements needed for a particular application.
Designing with recyclability in mind
What happens after the last bite is becoming an increasingly important consideration. Designing for recyclability means considering the entire package structure while maintaining the performance required to protect the food inside. It is another important part of the balancing act behind modern food packaging.
Where Dow comes in
Dow develops materials that help flexible and rigid food packaging meet a range of performance needs. That can include supporting freshness, package durability, design for recyclability and performance across different markets, climates and supply chains.
At Pack Studios, Dow teams work with food brands to design, prototype, test and refine new packaging applications, helping move “what if?” ideas closer to real-world use.
The next time you open a snack or unpack a grocery delivery, take a second look. That package is doing more than wrapping food. Depending on its design and application, packaging can help protect food, preserve freshness, help reduce the potential for food waste and support progress toward a more circular packaging system.
The future of food packaging will not be shaped by the shelf alone. It will be shaped by what packaging is made of and by the science that helps it do more.
Advancing food packaging through materials science.
About the article
This case study was developed by a cross-discipline team representing sustainability, materials and market expertise across Dow. To learn more about the breadth of our innovative products and technologies made possible through science and collaboration, visit dow.com.