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Dow and P&G jointly produce air-capsule packaging for online commerce

Dow, one of the world’s biggest petrochemical companies and based in Midland, Michigan, said in a June 19 press release that it had joined Procter & Gamble in China to design air-capsules for online commerce deliveries that would be more material efficient and also help recyclability.

The new packaging would represent a 40% reduction in weight compared with corrugated boxes “requiring only 25% of original trucking and 75% less warehouse space,” according to the statement.

The new package adds recyclability “through an all-PE mono material structure.” PE is a short for polyethylene in petrochemical reports. Polyethylene is the most commonly traded resin and can be recycled.

The new package may represents an improvement not just relative to boxes but also compared with traditional air cushion bags or envelopes with bubble wrap, according to the release.

“E-commerce packaging typically consists of carton boxes as the outer packaging, with air cushion bags or bubble wrap inside to protect and stabilize the products during delivery. However, the traditional air cushion bag film structure is multi-material – such as nylon (to provide high gas barrier for extended shelf life), a tie-layer resin, and polyethylene – making it difficult to recycle through conventional methods,” the statement said.

“The rise of e-commerce has inevitably generated an increase in packaging waste. At Dow, our role is to develop materials that enable better performing, sustainable packaging that is designed for recyclability from the start,” said Bambang Candra, Asia Pacific commercial vice president, Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics.

"The development of our air capsule e-commerce packaging is a step in the right direction, and we hope to continue collaborating with more partners to drive such impact at scale,” said Neo Yang, Packaging Innovation Leader, P&G China.

Packaging and Specialty Plastics is a unit of Dow that is “one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives,” according to the release.

Industrial coatings market seen expanding 3.8% annually until 2027

The industrial coatings market may expand about 3.8% annually in the 2022-2027 period and this will represent an expansion by nearly $19 billion, according to a press release by Technavio.

“The market share growth by the waterborne segment is significant during the forecast period,” it said.

Waterborne paints, according to the release, are made of aqueous solutions for spreading resin. Other solvents, such as glycol ethers, are then added in tiny amounts to the coatings made with water-based technology, according to the statement.

3M, Akzo Nobel, Axalta, BASF, Brillux, Chugoku Marine Paints, Cloverdale Paint, Endura, Hempel, Kansai Masco, Nippon Paint, Orkla, PPG, Teknos, and The Sherwin Williams were listed as market participants in the report, it said.

The automotive, construction, marine, oil and gas, metallurgical, aerospace, mining, and medical industries all demand aqueous coatings.

Water-based coatings are also relatively cheaper than solvent-based coatings and do not require additives or thinners.  

Prices for raw materials such as binders, pigments, and solvents used in the manufacture of industrial coatings may fluctuate due to various factors such as supply chain disruptions, political tensions, and exchange rate, the statement said.

Back in 2021, during Covid-19, coatings helped automotive dealers increase sales revenue despite limited vehicle inventories, according to reports at the time.

Chemistry association of Canada welcomes updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act

The Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) said on June 14 that it was pleased with the updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) 2023.  

“We are glad to see that the new CEPA preserves the risk- and science- based approach at the heart of the Act, which has earned Canada a reputation of having a world-class chemicals management program,” said Bob Masterson, President and CEO of CIAC.

“With over 4,000 substances addressed through the Chemicals Management Plan to date, Canada has completed more risk assessments and introduced more risk management instruments than any other jurisdiction in the world,” it added. 

The new CEPA “strengthens our chemicals management regime and sets the stage for the next wave of chemicals management in Canada,” the CIAC said in a press release.

Canada has also in recent years enacted legislation to ban some types of plastic products.

By Reuters Events Downstream