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Materials Ecosystem
Bio Waste in the materials Ecosystem
Learn more about the importance of bio circular on the materials ecosystem, which can transform plastic waste and renewable waste into useful materials.
What is the role of Bio Waste in the materials ecosystem?
At Dow, we’re transforming how plastics are made by investing in sustainable feedstocks derived from recycled waste and bio-based materials. These alternative inputs help reduce dependence on fossil fuels and support significant carbon footprint reductions. We focus on non-edible, renewable organic resources, from agricultural, plant, and fungal sources, ensuring responsible material use. As innovation in bio-based technologies accelerates, it paves the way for scaling sustainable feedstock adoption across the plastics value chain.
Dow X New Energy Blue
Recently, Dow and New Energy Blue announced a long-term supply agreement in North America in which New Energy Blue will create bio-based ethylene from agricultural residues for plastics production. Dow’s agreement with New Energy Blue, staffed by experts with deep experience in bio-conversion ventures, is the first agreement in North America to generate plastic source materials from corn stover (stalks and leaves). This is also Dow’s first agreement in North America to utilize agriculture residues for plastic production. This agreement would play a pivotal role in Dow’s approach to building material ecosystems that value, source and transform waste into circular products.
Dow X LVMH
Dow’s SURLYN™ REN and SURLYN™ CIR offer two sustainable ionomers grades which pioneer the use of renewable and circular feedstocks. The SURLYN™ grades will enable beauty brands and manufacturers to create sustainable and high-quality cosmetic packaging that stands out on the shelves.
SURLYN™ CIR are ionomers produced from mixed plastic waste and SURLYN™ REN are ionomers produced from bio-waste such as used cooking oil (UCO). Both grades made using these alternative feedstocks continue to deliver the properties that give the unique look, feel and performance that the SURLYN™ material is known for.
LVMH Beauty, a division of luxury conglomerate LVMH, the world leader in luxury and home to 75 iconic brands, will be the first user of these grades following the brand’s announced collaboration with Dow in 2023.
Dow X Thong Guan
Dow and Thong Guan, one of the world’s leading plastic stretch cling film producers, introduced a range of bio-based polyethylene (bio-PE) in Asia Pacific. This marks a milestone in the region’s commercialization of a plastics offering made from renewable feedstock, enabling industry providers to produce high-performance plastics while reducing carbon footprint.
Dow X Doxa Plast
Dow and stretch film manufacturer Doxa Plast together created a family of bio-based high-performance stretch films aimed at addressing the increasing demand for more sustainable solutions that use alternative renewable feedstocks helping to reduce carbon footprint. The bio-based stretch film range is optimized for downgauging without compromising on functionality. Using a patented technology, Doxa Plast offers thin stretch films down to four microns of thickness, while maintaining high level performance for improved load pallet stability and reducing overall packaging material.
Dow X Henkel
Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics expanded its high-performance AFFINITY™ GA polyolefin elastomers (POE) with the launch of bio-based AFFINITY™ RE, made using bio-based feedstock such as tall oil – a by-product created by the paper-milling industry and ultimately sourced from sustainably managed forests. This solution has enabled Dow customer Henkel’s Technomelt SUPRA ECO line to achieve another milestone in both companies’ sustainability goals.
Explore other collaborations
Frequently Asked Questions
Biowaste feedstocks are derived from renewable, non-edible organic materials, such as plant and agricultural byproducts.
These bio-based and recycled materials are converted into plastic products with lower emissions.
Advances in bio-based technologies drive wider adoption of alternative feedstocks, supporting a shift toward a low-carbon, circular economy in plastics.
Bio-based plastics are polymers made wholly or partly from renewable biological resources, such as sugarcane, corn starch, cellulose, or even algae, instead of fossil-based feedstocks.
These plastics are created by extracting sugars or starches from biomass, which are then fermented or chemically converted into building blocks like bio-ethylene or polylactic acid (PLA). These monomers are polymerized to form plastics with the same (or similar) performance characteristics as traditional polymers.
Importantly, “bio-based” refers to the source of the carbon, not necessarily the material’s end-of-life behavior. Some bio-based plastics are recyclable, some are biodegradable, and others perform identically to their fossil-derived counterparts.
Bio-based feedstocks help reduce reliance on fossil resources and can offer significant carbon footprint reductions over a material’s life cycle.
Key environmental benefits include:
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions: Plants absorb CO₂ as they grow, offsetting emissions from plastic production.
- Renewable sourcing: Bio-feedstocks are derived from agricultural by-products, industrial waste, or dedicated energy crops, making the material supply more sustainable.
- Support for regenerative agriculture: When sourced responsibly, bio-based inputs can drive investments in soil health, biodiversity, and local economies.
- Compatibility with circular systems: When designed for recyclability or biodegradability, bio-based plastics can reinforce circularity in both packaging and product applications.
By blending material science with nature’s innovation, bio-based plastics unlock new pathways to decarbonise the plastics value chain, without compromising performance.
While they may sound similar, bio-based and biodegradable plastics refer to different concepts:
- Bio-based plastics are made from renewable biological sources. They may or may not be biodegradable.
- Biodegradable plastics are designed to break down naturally over time through microbial activity. They can be fossil- or bio-based.
A plastic can be bio-based but not biodegradable (e.g. bio-PE), biodegradable but not bio-based (e.g. PBAT from fossil feedstock), or both bio-based and biodegradable (e.g. PLA).
Understanding the distinction is crucial for designing materials that meet environmental goals, whether that’s reducing carbon footprint, improving recyclability, or ensuring safe end-of-life breakdown in specific conditions.
Yes, many bio-based plastics are recyclable, especially when they are chemically identical to their fossil-based counterparts. For example:
- Bio-based polyethylene (bio-PE) and bio-PET are drop-in replacements for conventional PE and PET. They are compatible with existing recycling infrastructure.
- PLA, a popular biodegradable bioplastic, is technically recyclable, but it requires dedicated sorting and processing streams that are not yet widespread.
The recyclability of a bio-based plastic depends on its polymer type, the availability of dedicated recycling streams, clear labeling and sorting practices.
At Dow, we’re advancing material design and recycling systems in parallel, ensuring bio-based innovations integrate seamlessly with a circular economy.
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