Dow and Doxa Plast’s new bio-based films stretch carbon reduction possibilities

08 May 2020 --- Dow and stretch film manufacturer Doxa Plast have launched a family of bio-based, high-performance stretch films called “Reborn,” which cater to the increasing demand for solutions that use alternative renewable feedstocks and reduce carbon footprint. Dow’s bio-based PE offers an alternative for Doxa Plast to deliver thin stretch films, which can be stretched up to 50 percent more at just 4 microns of thickness. The launch aligns with both companies’ strategies to provide environmentally sustainable solutions that enable the reduction of their carbon footprints as well as overall packaging material use.

“Doxa and Dow have a long-standing relationship as producer and supplier, [holding] regular discussions on how both parties can contribute to a more sustainable future for packaging solutions since early 2019. When Dow introduced bio-based PE offerings manufactured from bio-feedstock, Doxa saw the opportunity to make use of their long experience in thin stretch films production,” Sandra-Stina Vesterlund, Managing Director, Doxa Plast, tells PackagingInsights.

The Reborn stretch films by Doxa Plast integrate Dow’s bio-based linear low-density polyethylene, ELITE 5230GC R Enhanced Polyethylene Resin, which is produced from renewable feedstock. The feedstock comes from residues of paper production from sustainably managed forests in Finland.

“Bio-based feedstocks are a niche market, both from a supply and demand perspective, due to its high premiums, but it is a growing market. For Dow, this is a starting point and one of many solutions we are looking to be able to offer more sustainable alternatives feedstocks to fossil-derived naphtha,” Carolina Gregorio, Marketing Manager at Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics EMEA, also tells PackagingInsights.

Doxa saw the opportunity to make use of their long experience in thin stretch films production with Dow's bio-based PE resins.Dow’s bio-based polyethylene portfolio is produced using bio-naphtha from tall oil, which is a byproduct of paper pulp production. Unlike other alternative renewable feedstocks, it does not compete with the human food chain and doesn’t require extra land for its production. The films are produced in Doxa’s factory in Sweden, which also contributes to reducing the carbon footprint due to the short supply chain.

“Every stretch film in our production is customized for the specific customer. Therefore, the amount of C02 reduction is not equal for all products. It depends on the customer’s needs,” Vesterlund explains.

Durable solutions required
Dow’s bio-based PE resins offer the same performance characteristics as fossil-derived resins, the company affirms. “The family of Reborn stretch films has the same superior abilities as the products DX and Doxess, which represent Doxa’s solutions for the most demanding applications. DX Reborn can be stretched up to 400 percent and has a thickness of 9-30 micron, depending on the customer’s goods,” adds Vesterlund.

“DX is a very high performing solution when it comes to load security,” she continues. “Doxess Reborn is a pre-stretched patented hand stretch film with very high load stability. It can be stretched up to 50 percent more and is as thin as 4-8 microns, depending on the customer’s requirement.” As such, the partnered companies strive to create “the thinnest, most high performing film solutions in the market.”

“Our new Reborn family of sustainable solutions makes it possible to reduce, reuse, recycle and redefine plastics without compromising performance and therefore meet our customer’s business and sustainability needs. At Doxa Plast, we do not compromise, we stretch the possibilities,” Vesterlund concludes.

By Anni Schleicher

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