Dow, Brivaplast and TecnoGi Repurpose Surlyn Industrial Waste

Dow’s Surlyn resin is a key material for the premium packaging industry for perfumes and cosmetics, and is used in particular for the manufacture of perfume bottle caps, which are valued for their exceptional clarity and durability, thanks to their excellent scratch and chemical resistance. However, the industry’s specific quality requirements sometimes result in large amounts of production waste, with non-compliant parts once discarded.

In order to give these high-quality materials new life and maximize their utility, Dow, Brivaplast and TecnoGi have collaborated to repurpose non-compliant caps into components for premium footwear and leather goods.

Specifically, perfume bottle caps made from Dow’s Surlyn resin that do not meet Brivaplast’s stringent production standards are processed by TecnoGi, an Italian company specializing in the production of parts for the footwear and leather goods industry.

This collaborative initiative involving three key industry players – Dow, a producer of virgin resins, Brivaplast, which transforms them into packaging components, and TecnoGi, which repurposes industrial waste – is fully aligned with the luxury consumer goods industry’s focus on reducing its carbon footprint and resource waste, especially in Europe. It can promote circularity in the luxury sector by keeping high-quality materials in the loop longer.

Dow, Brivaplast and TecnoGi say they are excited to highlight opportunities in the luxury sector by reusing these materials and to demonstrate the importance of smart collaboration across the materials value chain to promote circularity.

“Our collaboration with Brivaplast and TecnoGi comes at a time when demand for sustainable materials and packaging solutions is growing. At Dow, we recognize our role in finding solutions faster and further to accelerate a circular economy for industrial plastics across Europe, and know that our customers have higher expectations for this,” said Imran Munshi, global head of Dow’s Consumer Markets Segment. “We are proud to showcase what can be achieved by collaborating across the value chain and the benefits to all of us of keeping valuable materials in the loop longer.”