Earlier this summer, I attended a talk at the Akron Roundtable on Plastics and Sustainability by Kumar Sanketh, PhD, Research and Development Director of Packaging at Dow, Inc. His talk focused on what the company and industry are trying to do so the public can have the same level of comfort from plastics without harming the environment when they create or dispose of them.  This is indeed a challenge.  I was heartened to hear that they are focusing on increasing a circular economy for their products and are taking direct actions to accomplish this.

But I was disheartened to hear him also saying that consumers need to change their behavior, which is impossible to do with the inadequate systems we now have, even when earnestly trying to avoid plastics or to recycle them.  We have been told before that recycling was the answer and I worry that this is another way for the industry to just keep using fossil fuels.  I was even more disheartened to hear him predict that the need for plastics will double production in the next 20 years, in large part because of the need to create wires to carry electricity from new renewable energy sources to nearby use centers or grid connections.  This means the continued use of fossil fuel and increased global warming. To learn what Dow is doing to try to tackle both climate change and plastic waste, read on.

Plastics are derived from fossil fuels.  Plastic’s success comes because it is durable, lightweight, adaptable to so many uses.  Production has gone from 2 million metric tons in the 1950s to 415 metric tons today.   Dr. Sanketh said that only 3% of it is recycled and noted that it’s piling up in the environment, creating a myriad of problems in our water and on the land.  According to Jim Fitterling, Dow Chairman and CEO. “A sustainable future is attainable, but only if we continue to tackle these issues head-on, hold ourselves accountable, and work together to enable new science- and technology-based solutions that directly address both climate change and plastic waste.”

Their strategy has 3 pillars—1) Make safer materials, 2) Create a circular economy, and 3) Protect the climate.

Their efforts began with lowering their own carbon footprint by using renewable energy, creating better wires and cables which increase run length, reduce degassing time and greenhouse gas emissions and also, by reducing scrap.

One example of a safer material is a more sustainable fabric dyeing with ECOFAST, which uses less process chemicals, has a 60% lower carbon footprint, 50% less water and 40% lower energy.

Another is their Designing for Waste concept which looks at making a product 100% recyclable from the beginning.  For example, their creation of new molecules to make flexible film packaging 100% recyclable to help companies meet their 2025 packaging targets, as opposed to multilayer films of dissimilar materials which are difficult to recycle.  And they have also created a flexible foam polyol, RENUVA, that can be used for mattress-to-mattress recycling (which is being done in Europe) or for rigid foams and has 30% lower greenhouse gas emissions than virgin polyol.

They are also developing tools to assess the contaminant and hazard profile of materials to be recycled, as well as improving the processes used to get more post-consumer plastics recycled.  For example, they reduced mixing time for polymer modifier by 60 to 70% and are making more plastics more compatible thru the additive ELVALOW.  They also developed a polymer modifier called RETAIN, which allows certain pelletized barrier films to be more evenly dispersed and delivers greater clarity of the product while maintaining the needed mechanical properties, thereby advancing end of life options.

They are looking at flooring, roofing membranes and artificial turd to increase their recycled content.  And are also looking at circularity and weight reduction in vehicles by creating tires with 1,000 miles driving time post-puncture solutions, using Silastic 2650 Self Sealing Tire Sealant, thereby eliminating the need for spare tires. Most consumer goods last 5-10 years, and they are trying to develop them to last longer. Other goals are to create safer additives, colors, and foam, as well as increase product shelf life.

Overall, they are trying to develop safer plastics which decrease the potential concerns to human health and safety by identifying these substances, defining a clear action plan and developing next generation chemistry that will solve problems found.

They are seeking partnerships with many sources to accelerate the circular ecosystem by using alternative waste feedstocks such as used cooking oil, tall oil (a by-product of wood pulp manufacturing), and corn stovers (leaves, stalks and cobbs) to feed crackers to create 3 million metric tons per year of circular and renewable polymers year by 2030.

Worldwide, Europe is the area with the most circularity in their economy and California is the state challenging industry here in the US.  But while scientists are finding ways to make plastics 100% recyclable, that doesn’t mean they will be recycled.  Many collaborations are necessary for circularity to work, and Dow is using its influence to create more of these partnerships.

In closing, Dr. Sanketh commented that it would take 3 to 4 times more materials (of various kinds) to get what we have in our life today without plastics. So they are looking at a lasting worldwide treaty regarding plastics which is currently being negotiated as part of the solution.  He also pointed out that plastics industry will create 1 million more jobs plus even more jobs picking up waste.  Industry finds laws hard to navigate and finds that well written regulations are better than bans, which they say don’t help.

I tried to listen with an open mind, and it sounds like they are succeeding in various ways in addressing the problem and identifying solutions.  But in the end, I still remain skeptical that technology can really solve the whole plastic problem, which is huge and worldwide and has so many aspects.  But I do have to give Dow credit for at least connecting their efforts with climate change and trying to increase circularity.  And I continue to wonder how much the profit motive plays into their solutions.

To see all the slides from Dr. Sanketh’s presentation, click here:     https://www.akronroundtable.org/display/files/plastics-and-sustainability—challenge-or-opportunity-kumar-sanketh.pdf