Dow has announced the development and launch of its innovative family of REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastics Resins. This launch marks a milestone in Dow’s commitment to advancing circularity and Transforming the Waste.

By 2030, Dow aims to Transform the Waste and commercialize three million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually. To achieve this, Dow is expanding its efforts to advance circular and sustainable packaging. Aligned with these sustainability goals, the launch of REVOLOOP™ Plastics Resins comes with a new promise to unlock even more value in plastic waste for customers and partners.

Two new grades of REVOLOOP™ Plastics Resins are launched and are approved for non-food contact packaging applications. One contains 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) and the second one is a formulated grade which contains up to 85% PCR derived from household waste.

“With the launch of our new grades of REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastics Resins, we continue to expand our sustainability portfolio, working with brands, converters and recyclers to design new ways to use less plastic in packaging and to help that what is used is fully recyclable,” said Fabrice Digonnet, Plastics Mechanical Recycling Strategy Leader EMEA, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. “Our REVOLOOP™ launch is an exciting evolution in our recycling story and enables us to achieve new circularity and low-carbon targets.”

Addressing challenges by maximizing resources

Until now, the plastics industry has struggled to maximize recycled plastics household waste to reach demanding applications such as collation shrink films, as it is more prone to contamination than waste from commercial or industrial sources.

The new REVOLOOP™ launch addresses these challenges, marking an exciting evolution in the recycling narrative.

Through collaboration with long-time Dow customer, the RKW Group, one of Europe´s leading manufacturer of shrink films, both parties are achieving new circularity and low-carbon milestones with the use of REVOLOOP™ Recycled Plastics Resins. By combining Dow’s material science expertise with RKW’s extrusion and printing expertise, they are maximizing the value of recycled plastics household waste streams to achieve historically demanding applications. 

“This collaboration brings a brand-new collation shrink film to the market,” said Konrad Noniewicz, Director R&D & Application Engineering at RKW Group. “By integrating REVOLOOP™ 100% PCR and REVOLOOP™ containing recycled plastics household waste with virgin materials, we create a flexible packaging solution that meets the requirements for mechanical recyclability, ensuring compatibility with existing recycling processes and contributing to the transition towards a circular economy.” 

The final product is a collation shrink film containing PCR, partially derived from recycled plastics household waste, which meets the high requirements of well-known brand owners around the world.

This collaboration between Dow and RKW is a testament for a strong and effective relationship across the value chain, pushing the limits of mechanical recycling and accelerating the circular economy.

Dow & RKW will showcase the new REVOLOOP™ grades and the revolutionary shrink film at the Plastics Recycling Show Europe.