Technological watch

Dow has announced the development of a new resin made with 70 percent recycled plastic. This innovative new solution, called AGILITY™ CE, is the first post-consumer recycled (PCR) product offering of Dow's plastics circularity portfolio to incorporate a high percentage of post-consumer plastic waste.
LDPE Without Sacrificing Material Quality and Functionality
This new resin consists of a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) into which recycled plastic shrink film is incorporated without sacrificing material quality and functionality in the final application.
“What is exciting about AGILITY™ CE is that previously mechanically recycled content has often diminished or degraded in quality,” stated Carsten Larsen, Commercial Recycling Director for Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business. “Here we have a consistent and high-quality product- taking back used shrink film directly from a retailer and using our material science to recreate a resin which can be used directly back into the same quality shrink film.”
New Recyclate for Collation Shrink Films
This is the first grade of AGILITY™ CE and is intended for use in collation shrink films as secondary packaging for transportation of cans or bottles. It enables converters to incorporate more than 50 percent recycled content in the formulation of the final film, without altering its functionality.
The availability of this high quality recyclate will help retailers and brand owners meet their sustainability goals while helping reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.
Focusing on Resource Efficiency and Circularity
Dow continues to work towards a circular system, which would guarantee that secondary or transportation packaging films are recycled back into the same type of application. This innovation is another example of Dow’s strategy to enable a shift to a circular economy for plastics, by focusing on resource efficiency and integrating recycled content and renewable feedstocks into its production processes.
Dow also recently announced a partnership with the Fuenix Ecogy Group, based in Weert, The Netherlands, for the supply of pyrolysis oil feedstock, which is made from recycled plastic waste; and a partnership with UPM, to integrate a wood-based renewable naphtha into its slate of raw materials, creating an alternative feedstock source for plastics production.
Dow will be showcasing AGILITY™ CE, as well as many other technologies, to customers at K 2019 from 16-23 October in Dusseldorf, Germany.