The firm said it is trying to make its polymers stronger so less of them are used and focus on downgauging to address sustainability.
It is looking at materials being re-used or used more efficiently such as edge trim and scrap produced when films are made and end of life options for products.
Dow recently spoke to FPD about its fully recyclable polyethylene (PE) stand-up pouch.
The pouch is in stores in Mexico and came out of working with brand owners and convertors at four Pack Studios sites worldwide about switching from paperboard, glass or metal.
Pack Studios enables the firm to come up with ideas and try them out in the labs and on production lines.
Scott Collick, director North America Plastics technical services and development, at Dow said convenience and sustainability, security of food supply and designing new packages to replace traditional materials were current trends driving industry.
“We see caps moving from 2-piece caps to 1-piece because it is much more sustainable and its lighter weight,” he told FoodProductionDaily.com.
Reseal and Peelability
He said the demand from consumers for peelable packages can be met by their expanded range of SEALUTION Peel Polymers with two polyolefin-based peelable sealants, SEALUTION 210 and SEALUTION 230.
The sealants are suitable for high clarity pouches and lidstock for polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) cups and trays.
Re-sealable films are the next stage which the firm is working on, he said.
“We have a large range of pressure sensitive adhesives so if you put in the right construction you can re-seal it.”
Dow has developed peelable heat seal coating technology for polyester lidding film applications.
ADCOTE HS 40-555 is designed for lidding film sealing to APET and CPET for fresh food and ready meal containers.
Packaging security
Collick said they had launched a line of sealants designed for high speed lines for maximum permeaticity, the ability of the package to stay sealed.
“Another thing that we have launched is around security, so it’s important for security of food supply and having packages that don’t leak,” he said.
“So you think about brand owners that run maybe tens of thousands of packages an hour, if just one of those leaks because one machine in the corner is a little off, not good.
“The way we do it is what we call hermeticity curves, which is line speed versus temperature and what you want is the broadest window to operate.
“For food packagers running 20 lines and each one is a little different, they will know it will run on every one of the lines.”
K Show launches
At K Show in Dusseldorf, the firm said its Dow Elastomers business will begin production of AFFINITY GA Polyolefin Elastomers (POEs) for hot melt adhesives in Tarragona, Spain.
It is the first time production of AFFINITY GA POEs will take place in Europe, adding to production in Freeport, Texas
Production of AFFINITY GA POEs in Tarragona will expand capacity to serve the hot melt adhesives (HMA) market and is expected to come on-line in Q1 2014.
The firm also unveiled its AGILITY EC 7000, an extrusion coating LDPE resin for high speed low gauge processing that can be used as décor, lamination or sealant layer in single or co-extruded structures.