Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Co., has created two new senior leadership roles charged with addressing global plastics recycling and waste management challenges. 

 

Tim Boven, previously Dow’s global integrated supply chain director for Hydrocarbons, is the new recycling commercial director for Latin America and North America. Carsten Larsen, formerly Dow Industrial Solutions’ commercial director for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, will serve as recycling commercial director for EMEA & APAC.  

 

In their new roles, Boven and Larsen will be responsible for developing new business models and growth strategies that monetize plastics waste recycling streams across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. They will work with their respective commercial leadership to help design the appropriate resource structure based in the regions to advance this effort.

 

“Too much plastic is turning into waste and entering our natural environment due to global variations in the availability of sufficient waste infrastructure, low rates of recycling, and plastic being carelessly discarded after use,” said Diego Donoso, business president for Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “Dow is committed to investing in the right leaders and recycling innovations to help advance end-of-life solutions for plastics. With Tim and Carsten driving our global recycling strategy, we will be able to help our customers around the world achieve their sustainability objectives and enable the shift toward a more circular value chain for plastics.”

 

Boven and Larsen are evaluating current plastic waste streams around the world, working to identify innovations in recycling technology that will contribute to a global circular economy for plastic. In North America and EMEA, Boven and Larsen will focus primarily on advancing the circular economy of plastic via technologies that will be used to transform plastic waste into valuable resources. In Latin America and APAC, where recycling infrastructure is less advanced and plastic waste continues to increase, they will focus on new recycling, collection and infrastructure platforms for Dow and its local value chain partners that keep plastics out of the environment. 

 

As part of their recycling strategy, Boven and Larsen will build on Dow’s existing collaborations, working with the company’s value chain partners to address plastic waste challenges with Dow’s technologies and initiatives that increase the recyclability of plastics. Their work will help Dow reach its 2025 Sustainability Goal of advancing a circular economy by delivering solutions to close the resource loops in key markets.

 

“Creating these new roles within Dow is just one step of many in our commitment to advance the sustainability value of plastics,” Donoso said. “But we realize we can’t solve the issue alone, and encourage our industry peers, partners and customers to help us create and deliver solutions to stop waste leakage and maintain the value of plastics throughout its life span.”