In 2007, Dow was awarded “Best Paper” at the TAPPI Polymers, Laminates, Adhesives, Coatings and Extrusions (PLACE) conference, for a paper called “Case Studies for Improved Sustainability in Packaging.” TAPPI is a professional association for the worldwide pulp, paper, packaging, and converting industries. The selection was made by conference attendees, including retailers, packaging producers and brand owners. This is especially significant because this particular audience has traditionally focused more on the merits of paper and paperboard.
Packaging serves to protect the goods it contains, and packaging materials must meet demanding performance criteria, such as reducing waste and increasing shelf life. Dow recognizes that sustainable packaging is a complex issue, and that a single packaging option’s sustainability must be measured against its alternatives in a given set of circumstances.
Dow has shown that in industrial stretch film, stand-up pouches, heavy duty shipping sacks and loop carriers, plastic packaging can contribute positively to improved sustainability:
- A flexible plastic stand-up pouch for mixed nuts used 81 percent less packaging per unit of product than a composite can and plastic lid, representing, lower consumption of raw materials for packaging production and less waste to landfill at end of use.
- Plastic loop carriers for six-packs of juice cans weigh 89 percent less than the alternative paperboard carrier. This reduction in package weight reduces energy consumption by 60 percent and greenhouse gas emissions by 89 percent.
- Industrial stretch films are manufactured from high performance polyethylene resins that are used to wrap and contain pallet loads during shipment and storage. Reductions in the typical thickness of stretch film have resulted in annual energy savings equivalent to 293 million gallons of gasoline, or heating and cooling for 643,000 homes.
- Heavy duty shipping sacks are typically used for plastic resins and other products. In the last 15 years, the thickness of these shipping sacks has been reduced by approximately 40 percent through improved design and higher strength resins. This results in less plastic being needed for the same or better performance.
This is just one example of how the Human Element at Dow is contributing to more sustainable chemistry solutions.
¹ Results are based on tests performed by Dow in a Dow laboratory
² References for equivalents on energy savings are from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
