Dow, a US-based chemical company, is stepping up efforts to slow rising global temperatures by improving handling of plastic waste.
The company wants its business to support the international campaign against global warming by reducing a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions and seeking partners to strengthen actions to achieve a net-zero goal.
The UN has designated 2050 as the year when countries should strike a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption, meaning realistic plans are needed to reduce the gases by 45% over the next decade.
CIRCULAR PLASTICS
Dow is implementing solutions to recycle plastic waste to reduce the need for new production, which leaves a substantial carbon footprint.
The lifecycle of plastics involves massive use of energy to dig up natural gas and oil and turn them into different types of plastic products, ranging from acrylic, which is used in paint making, to polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, which is transformed into water bottles.
"We aim to reduce our net annual carbon emissions by 5 million metric tonnes, versus the 2020 baseline, by 2030. This requires a 15% reduction," said Kodak Xiao, Asia-Pacific business sustainability lead of Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics.
"The company wants to become carbon-neutral by 2050."
On the path towards this goal, plastics recycling management will be central to the actions, which will strengthen Dow's position as a global sustainable chemical company, said Mr Xiao.
He was speaking during the 4th annual Sustainability Week Asia, recently held in Bangkok by Economist Impact, a business unit under the London-based Economist Group, which is known as the publisher of The Economist newspaper.
Economist Impact, an organiser of events and seminars focusing on global issues, brought together 1,000 leaders and experts to the Thai capital to discuss ideas and the latest developments in the transition to a greener society during the two-day gathering.
Among the participating companies was Dow, which shared insights into ways to transform unwanted plastics into new products under the circularity concept.
Under circular and renewable solutions, the company will focus on plastics recycling and move on to make sure all of its products are environmentally friendly.
"We want to close the loop by enabling 100% of Dow products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035," said Mr Xiao.
At present, more than 80% of Dow products sold into packaging applications are designed for recyclability, he said.
Last year, Dow acquired recycling company Circulus in North America, which is good at recycling polyethylene. This is to support Dow's ability to transform plastic waste and other forms of alternative feedstocks to deliver 3 million metric tonnes of circular and renewable solutions annually by 2030.
"To do this, we are building industrial ecosystems to collect, reuse or recycle waste and expand its portfolio to meet rapidly growing demand," said Mr Xiao.
Dow showcased its innovative approach to transforming plastic waste into new products, emphasising the circularity concept. The sample product on display demonstrates Dow's commitment to creating packaging solutions that are designed for recyclability and reuse, aiming for 100% circularity by 2035.
These actions will improve business potential and support the growing demand for high-quality postconsumer recycled (PCR) content in the global market.
According to Mr Xiao, bio-based feedstocks are a key pillar within Dow's vision for a lower-carbon plastics ecosystem. These raw materials, made from waste residues or by-products from an alternative production process, support a circular economy by enabling material reuse.
In addition to recycling, Dow is conducting a feasibility study into a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project in Canada.
CCS is an important technological option for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the petrochemical industry, and will be essential to achieving the goal of net-zero emissions.
HELPFUL PARTNERS
Dow is working with partners from across the entire value chain to find innovative ways to battle mismanaged plastic waste and keep it out of the environment, said Mr Xiao.
Better plastics management is a crucial part of global environmental efforts as plastic products are used in almost all aspects of daily life, ranging from clothes and footwear to items for food and public health applications.
In 2024, Dow forged a cooperation with SCG Chemicals, the petrochemical arm of Siam Cement Group, Thailand's largest cement maker and industrial conglomerate, to push ahead with sustainable plastics.
Both companies agreed to jointly drive and elevate the circular plastic ecosystem in Asia-Pacific throughout the value chain by transforming 200 kilotonnes per year, or 200,000 tonnes of plastic waste into circular products by 2030.
The partnership will accelerate technology development in mechanical recycling and advanced recycling, said Mr Xiao.
Mechanical recycling involves physical processes to recycle plastics, including sorting, shredding, washing, melting and reforming the plastic, while advanced recycling is based on methods to break down plastic waste into its chemical building blocks, including basic hydrocarbons.
According to Dow, the two companies will initially establish a value growth partnership for PCR with current suppliers, and will develop technological solutions in waste sorting, mechanical recycling and advanced recycling in Thailand.
The two countries anticipate subsequent phases of the partnership will include sourcing of plastic waste feedstocks in Southeast Asia, including potential expansion into other parts of the region including China, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.