The Company worked closely with leading global toothpaste brands to bring the new sustainable solution into mass production. Coupled with responsible disposal and recycling infrastructure, this solution could help reduce the number of used toothpaste tubes entering landfills.
Unrecyclable toothpaste tubes account for an estimated 100,000 tons of waste each year – roughly the weight of 10 Eiffel Towers. However, making the tubes recyclable was a technically challenging endeavor. Since toothpaste is sensitive to oxygen and humidity, toothpaste manufacturers traditionally use tubes made from a combination of different plastics as well as a layer of aluminum, making the packaging nearly impossible to recycle. Using high-performance polyethylene-based technology that meets the same stringent performance requirements as traditional multilayer tubes, Dow's new packaging solution solves the recyclability issue by removing the aluminum layer while protecting the integrity of toothpaste products. It also offers printability thereby enabling brand owners to design for shelf appeal.
"Dow has made a commitment that 100 percent of what we sell into packaging applications must be reusable or recyclable by 2035," said Diego Donoso, president of Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. "Recyclable toothpaste tubes represent another advancement in our commitment to drive circular economy solutions together with our customers around the world."
"We are excited to make recyclable toothpaste tubes a reality for the oral hygiene industry by addressing the application challenges with Dow's materials science expertise," said Bambang Candra, Asia Pacific commercial vice president, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics. "This new offering is part of a broader product portfolio of solutions that helps consumer brands reduce their environmental footprint and meet growing consumer demands for sustainability without compromising product performance."
In addition to toothpaste tubes, Dow has also launched several all-PE flexible packaging solutions, which have gained traction and adoption by leading Fast-Moving Consumer Goods（FMCG）brand partners. These developments are part of Dow's efforts to achieve its Close the Loop target for 100 percent of its packaging solutions to be recyclable or reusable by 2035 and its target for one million metric tons of plastic to be collected, reused or recycled through its direct actions and partnerships by 2030.
Dow continues to collaborate with customers and value chain partners across the plastics and packaging industries to find new ways to extract the full value of plastic and help reduce the overall environmental impact of packaging and plastics. Examples include accelerating advanced recycling, advancing bio-based renewable feedstocks, helping consumer brands design their packing to be fully recyclable while also extending shelf life, to finding new ways to give hard-to-recycled plastics a second life.
The Company also recently announced several advancements that will enable Dow to provide initial supply of fully circular polymers to customers starting in 2022.
