Oct 08, 2024 | Jessica Rogers | 3 minute read
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Innovating for packaging circularity
Through our passion for innovative materials science, and collaboration with partners, we can unlock the value in plastic waste and improving the circularity of our products.
I’ve had a passion for both science and nature from an early age. As a North America Circularity Technology Leader for Dow, I am melding my passions by using advanced materials and technology to develop sustainable packaging solutions that are circular and use fewer resources.
While plastics are crucial to everyday life and a low-carbon future, plastic pollution has no place in the environment. At Dow, we have set ambitious targets to reduce plastic waste and retain its value in a circular economy. Our goal is to transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstock to deliver 3 million metric tons per year of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030.
One way that we are capturing the value of plastic waste is with our REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastic Resins.
Unlocking the value in plastic waste
A global line of mechanically recycled plastic resins, REVOLOOP™ is Dow’s first post-consumer recycled (PCR) product to incorporate up to 100% recycled content. This growing portfolio of PCR resins is providing customers with high-performance products that also help meet their circularity and low-carbon targets. In addition, the single-pellet solution enables a simpler PCR process integration, meeting the needs of converters, brand owners and packaging designers, and can be used in a broad range of applications.
PCR solutions present an opportunity to help close the loop on plastic waste while leveraging the sustainability benefits of plastic packaging. By incorporating PCR resins into a product, we can help reduce its footprint during production by decreasing energy output and greenhouse gases. Additionally, for typical packaging applications, the equivalent plastic solution weighs significantly less than the alternatives, reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain.
Partnering for progress
With our REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastic Resins, we are collaborating with partners around the world to ensure PCR plastic is managed like the valuable resource that it is.
This includes investing in technologies to support mechanical recycling on a larger scale, enhancing waste management infrastructure, and collaborating with brands and manufacturers to design for circularity. Our partnerships encompass the entire value chain, collaborating with specialized organizations to contribute on the professionalization process of waste picker cooperatives in Brazil and Africa to developing PCR packaging applications with flexible film manufacturers in China, India and Germany.
Plastics are an indispensable part of a low-carbon future – they make cars lighter and more fuel efficient, homes more energy efficient and reduce food waste. At the same time, we need a new approach to the traditional “take-make-dispose” model. Through our passion for innovative materials science, and collaboration with partners, we can unlock the value in plastic waste and improving the circularity of our products.
About the author
Jessica Rogers is the North America Circularity Technology Leader in the Technical Service & Development (TS&D) organization of Dow’s Packaging & Specialty Plastics (P&SP) business. In this role, she is responsible for the development and execution of Dow’s post-consumer recycled (PCR) product growth plans and shaping the strategy for circular product proliferation for the North American markets. Jessica received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and joined Dow in 2015 where she has held various roles across businesses within R&D and TS&D. In her free time, Jessica enjoys pursuing adventures such as skydiving, hiking, backpacking and scuba diving in far-flung places.
