Dow hits milestone in promoting circular economy in China

Dow, a global materials science company based in Midland, Michigan, and Liby, a laundry brand based in Shanghai have announced three milestones that promote a circular economy in China: 

• Dow’s recyclable packaging solutions have been adopted for use in nine of Liby’s products since the brand introduced China’s first recyclable packaging for laundry pods in 2020. 
• Enabled by Dow’s innate TF polyethylene resins for tenter frame biaxial orientation (TFBOPE), Liby’s recyclable packaging earned the first easy-to-collect and easy-to regenerate label in China, which helps consumers distinguish recyclable packaging from other packaging. 
• Liby adopted recyclable cushion packaging made with Dow’s postconsumer recycled (PCR) resins, converted from postuse plastic provided by Dow’s recycling partner, Lovere. 

The company says these achievements are part of its sustainability targets and commitment to close the loop by making 100 percent of its packaging products reusable or recyclable by 2035. Dow’s efforts also support China’s 14th five-year plan to stop plastic scrap from entering the environment.

“We are delighted to collaborate with industry leader Liby, which shares the same vision as Dow to accelerate the move from linear to the circular economy,” says Bambang Candra, Asia Pacific commercial vice president of Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. “These accomplishments are amongst the many that reflect our commitment to capture the full value of plastic and keep waste out of the environment, and we look forward to celebrating more milestones with our partners to achieve a sustainable future together.” 

The partnership between Dow and Liby continues to expand with several ongoing recyclable packaging projects in the pipeline, including another PCR resin application that will be announced soon. 

“The use of recyclable packaging and PCR resins is one of Liby’s sustainability focuses, which also supports China’s peak emissions and carbon-neutral goals,” says Liping Zhang, Liby chief scientist. “We are proud to be working with Dow to achieve a circular economy and to stop the plastic scrap in China.”