Dow has recently revealed its brand-new, innovative, first-of-its-kind bio-attributed material for flooring applications, which is the elastomer. This new material is an addition to Dow’s Engage REN Polyolefin Elastomers (POE) product portfolio which was launched in 2022.

The purpose of this new material, is for it to be used as carpet tile backing, which will provide dimensional stability and adhesion support for fibres.

The process that this company follows, involves Dow producing the Engage portfolio of polyolefin elastomers, through the use of renewable energy and feedstocks, for example, cooking oil. From there, the US-based polymer producer applies its Ecolibrium technology in order to transform sustainably sourced waste and by-products from other industries into plastics.

This new material is an excellent breakthrough for the company, especially as it aligns with their goals which they had previously set up. These aims include commercialising three million tonnes of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, as well as to ensure that all of their products which are sold in packaging applications, are sold in versions of packaging which are reusable and recyclable by 2035.

Senior Marketing Manager for Dow’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics business, Joanna Giovanoli, commented, "This innovation represents a crucial step toward expanding our circularity offerings into new markets. By supporting our flooring customers with bio-circular feedstock options that maintain high performance, we can give waste a new life, potentially reducing carbon footprints and reliance on fossil feedstocks. This is how we are moving Dow and our customers closer to shared sustainability goals.”

Dow mentioned, ‘According to the materials supplier, the polymers deliver equivalent performance in the final application as fossil-fuel counterparts and do not require reformulation. Dow’s resins from bio-circular feedstocks are ISCC Plus-certified under a mass balance approach for chain of custody.’