Dow Inc. announced two new partnerships at Chinaplas 2024 to develop solutions that meet both performance and circular demands. In collaboration with Dow, Sealed Air has commercialized an e-commerce packaging with increased recycled content. With the partnership, both parties will work together to develop more e-commerce packaging using Dow's REVOLOOP??

post-consumer recycled (PCR) resins, offering an effective way to protect products while also reducing carbon footprint through less use of virgin plastics. Dow and Changchun FAWSN Automotive Technology Research and Development Co. Ltd. also announced a new collaboration to explore applications of polyolefin elastomer (POE) artificial leather and POE-based 3D Loop solutions in the automotive industry.

POE artificial leather is 25% to 40% lighter in weight than PVC leather and offers performance benefits without the use of hazardous materials. The announcements were made at Dow's customer event held alongside Chinaplas 2024, the region's largest plastics industry tradeshow held in Shanghai from 23 to 26 April. At this event, Dow also showcased its Asia Pacific portfolio of innovative materials science solutions that help enable circularity and low carbon.

Centered around Dow's sustainability commitments to Protect the Climate, Transform the Waste and Close the Loop, the showcase featured solutions that are both high-performing and designed for circularity. Other Dow solutions that were highlighted include: Flexible packaging designed for circularity: Mono-material all-PE stand-up pouches which are designed for recyclability enable packaging to be more easily integrated into closed-loop recycling streams. Additionally, vacuum metallized all-PE packaging solutions enable design for recyclability and high barrier performance to co-exist, delivering a balance of sustainability and performance. REVOLOOP??

Recycled Plastics Resins: Several grades of post-consumer recycled (PC REN) resins available in China and across Asia enrich Dow's portfolio of mechanically recycled products that can be used in personal care packaging, artificial turf and other consumer product packaging. Bio-based and circular feedstock solutions: LVMH Beauty is the first user of SURLYN?? REN and SURLYN??

CIR, two new sustainable ionomers grades which pioneer the use of renewable and circular feedstocks in cosmetics packaging. Dow also supplies Crocs footwear with bio-based polyolefin elastomers (POEs) produced with renewable energy and plant-based feedstocks such as used cooking oil, enabling the footwear industry to reduce carbon footprint without compromising on performance. Polyolefin elastomer (POE)-based leather for automotive: Addressing the automotive industry's shift towards animal-free products, while delivering benefits such as ultra-soft tactility, better color stability, good aging and low temperature resistance, elimination of hazardous materials as well as 25% to 40% lighter In weight than PVC leather.

As part of enhancing industry engagement, Dow experts also spoke at several Chinaplas fairground activities such as Tech Talks, Circular Economy Conference, World Trends & Plastics & Rubber Technology Summit and the Applications in Focus forum, sharing insights on enabling flexible packaging for circularity as well as low-carbon solutions for automotive and photovoltaic applications. As part of Dow's Transform the Waste sustainability target, the company aims to transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstock to commercialize 3 million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030. Dow also plans to expand its portfolio of renewable and renewable solutions in the automotive industry.