Recycled PE Grades With Up to 100% PCR for Shrink Films

An innovative family of recycled PE resins has been launched by Dow and is the result of a collaboration with long-time customer RKW Group, a leading European shrink film manufacturer. The company says its new Revoloop resins mark a milestone in their commitment to advancing circularity. By 2030, Dow aims to “Transform the Waste” and commercialize three million metric tons of circular and renewable solutions annually.

Two new grades of Revoloop Plastics Resins are launched and are approved for non-food contact packaging applications. One contains 100% postconsumer recycled (PCR) and the second one is a formulated grade which contains up to 85% PCR derived from household waste. Until now, the plastics industry has struggled to maximize recycled plastics household waste to reach demanding applications such as collation shrink films, as it is more prone to contamination than waste from commercial or industrial sources.

The Revoloop launch addresses these challenges, marking an exciting evolution in the recycling narrative. Through its collaboration with RKW, both parties are achieving new circularity and low-carbon milestones with the use of the new resins. By combining Dow’s material science expertise with RKW’s extrusion and printing expertise, they are maximizing the value of recycled plastics household waste streams to achieve historically demanding applications.

Said RKW’s director R&D and application engineering Konrad Noniewicz, “This collaboration brings a brand-new collation shrink film to the market. By integrating Revoloop 100% PCR and Revoloop containing recycled plastics household waste with virgin materials, we create a flexible packaging solution that meets the requirements for mechanical recyclability, ensuring compatibility with existing recycling processes and contributing to the transition towards a circular economy.”

The final product is a collation shrink film containing PCR, partially derived from recycled plastics household waste, which meets the high requirements of well-known brand owners around the world.