Dow recently announced it has earned Critical Guidance Recognitions for recyclability from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) in three product categories. ROBOND™ adhesives, OPULUX™ optical finishes, and SURLYN™ ionomers were each recognized by APR for solving packaging design challenges.

APR’s Critical Guidance Recognition is a measure for assessing recyclability in plastics packaging design. It is presented to companies for products that solve well-established challenges in sustainable package design. The innovations are evaluated by a third-party, independent review committee and must meet the strict requirements of the Critical Guidance test protocol FPE-CG-01 under the APR Design® Recognition Program.

The specific Dow products receiving the Critical Guidance Recognition for meeting or exceeding the strict requirements outlined for PE film and flexible packaging include:

  • ROBOND L-90M adhesive on PE films—a water-based, VOC-free adhesive used for laminating flexible substrates; most commonly used in food and medical packaging
  • OPULUX MC 5004 coating on PE films—a water-based, low-gloss soft-touch coating that provides a matte appearance, superior rub resistance, and heat resistance when applied to a variety of substrates
  • SURLYN ionomers—20% loading in multi-layer polyethylene film substrates for a variety of food and non-food packaging, as well as pharma and medical packaging applications

“The Critical Guidance Protocol, FPE-CG-01, is the product of multi-industry consensus of key issues related to the recycling of postconsumer polyethylene films,” said Stephen Alexander, president and CEO of APR. “The protocol is intended to improve the quality of recycled PE films by helping innovators to make informed decisions. Meeting the Critical Guidance Protocol guidelines is a truly significant step in demonstrating the overall recyclability of [a company’s] products.”

“It’s commendable whenever an organization has even a single product recognized by the APR, but to have three products recognized in a single year is truly an outstanding achievement,” said Mike White, senior market manager, Adhesives, Dow North America Packaging and Specialty Plastics. “At Dow, we are committed to making plastic packaging more sustainable, and that means we are designing innovations like ROBOND™ Adhesives, OPULUX™ Optical Finishes and SURLYN™ Ionomers with recycling in mind. With these new APR recognitions, brand owners and convertors can feel even more confident in their choices to use these products.”

Learn more about Dow and its products at www.dow.com. Additional details about APR are available at https://plasticsrecycling.org.