Dow, Procter & Gamble partnering to develop new recycling technology

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Michigan, and the Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G), Cincinnati, have announced a joint development agreement to create a new recycling technology that will enable efficient conversion of hard-to-recycle plastic packaging into recycled polyethylene (PE) with near-virgin quality and a low greenhouse gas emissions footprint.

To create the new technology, the companies say they will combine their patented technologies and know-how in the dissolution process. The development program will focus on using dissolution technology to recycle a broad range of plastic materials, with a focus on PE and targeting postconsumer plastic material—especially rigids, flexible and multilayer packaging.

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According to the companies, the technology aims to deliver a high-quality postconsumer recycled (PCR) polymer with a lower greenhouse gas emissions footprint than fossil-based PE. P&G anticipates using this PCR polymer in its packaging, enabling a path to circularity which helps maximize resource utility and reduces materials treated as waste.

The partnership begins immediately and is expected to run until commercialization.

“Dow is committed to transforming plastic waste into circular solutions that can be made into high-quality resins demanded by our customers while helping to accelerate a circular economy,” says Dave Parrillo, vice president of research and development for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics and Hydrocarbons. “We are excited to work with P&G, who has similar sustainability goals and a commitment to innovation.”

Both companies say they have bold ambitions to accelerate circularity. Dow has a sustainability target to commercialize 3 million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, and P&G aims to use 100 percent consumer packaging designed to be recycled or reusable by 2030.

“Our partnership with Dow helps P&G advance our objective to scale industry solutions as we help create a circular future where materials are recycled and remade instead of becoming waste,” says Lee Ellen Drechsler, P&G senior vice president of corporate research and development.