Dow’s Largest PE Facilities Further Recognized for Use of Sustainable Feedstocks

Five of Dow’s largest PE manufacturing sites in Freeport, Texas, Tarragona, Spain), Terneuzen, The Netherlands, Boehlen and Schkopau, Germany have received International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS recognition for their compliance with rigorous tracking of sustainable feedstocks use. This marks a major step in the company’s global strategy to close the loop on plastic waste and expand its capabilities for circular plastics using advanced recycling and biobased feedstocks.

ISCC is a globally applicable sustainability certification system covering all sustainable feedstocks, including circular feedstocks produced from plastic waste as well as biobased, renewables sourced from agriculture and forestry biomass or waste products. The certification recognizes Dow’s implementation of environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable production requirements, which was awarded following a full independent, external audit to ensure product supply chains are fully traceable and that Dow and its suppliers are adhering to and accelerating sustainable practices.

Said Nestor de Mattos, North America commercial v.p. for Packaging & Specialty Plastics, “This third-party validation is a critical step in our sustainability journey to design and produce fully circular products. Our intent is to help our customers reach their circularity targets by providing 100% recyclable solutions and offering products made with recycled content.”

The ISCC PLUS certification verifies Dow’s continued effort to address both existential threats of climate change and environmental issues and reaffirms the success of Dow’s mass balance approach in producing sustainable plastic using both plastic waste-based circular feedstocks and bio-based feedstocks.

Each of the five Dow sites audited by ISCC have been awarded the PLUS certification as the result of different innovations that are helping to contribute toward more sustainable systems. The circular plastics produced at the Freeport location can be used to develop flexible food packaging made from mono-material PE. At the Terneuzen site, its crackers and all PE trains have been recognized, while Tarragona has been certified on its cracker, octene plant and polymerization plants. At Boehlen both its cracker and storage in Rostock and Teutschenthal have been certified, while the Schkopau site received accreditation for its plant that produces Dowlex PE resins.

These certifications will play a significant role in accelerating Dow’s sustainability goals progress. This includes reaching its target to stop the waste by enabling over 1.2 billion lbs of plastic to be collected, reused, or recycled by 2030, and to close the loop on plastic waste by enabling 100% of Dow products sold into packaging applications to be reusable or recyclable by 2035.