Dow has announced two novel variants of propylene glycol (PG) solutions in North America, featuring bio-circular and circular feedstocks, heralding a significant stride towards sustainability. Designed to cater to a diverse array of applications, customers now have the opportunity to enhance their products with high-performance attributes while ensuring externally validated sustainability benefits through a mass balance approach.

The mass balance approach, a hallmark of this initiative, meticulously tracks the utilization of bio-circular and circular materials in PG production across intricate value chains. This approach, recently bestowed with ISCC PLUS certification in Freeport, Texas, signifies a groundbreaking milestone as it marks the first-ever ISCC PLUS certification conferred upon a Dow PG manufacturing facility in North America. Thales de Oliviera, business sustainability leader for the Americas for Dow Polyurethanes, expressed pride in this achievement, stating, "We take pride in establishing a benchmark for enhanced sustainability in material production within North America, showcasing our steadfast dedication to propelling sustainable production practices and delivering eco-friendly products to our valued customers."

In line with the burgeoning demand for circular and bio-circular materials in polyurethane end-markets, Dow Polyurethanes is poised to meet these needs by leveraging advanced recycling technologies. By integrating innovative methodologies, two distinctive sustainable PG products have been introduced in North America, both certified by ISCC PLUS:

•  Propylene Glycol CIR, featuring Renuva™ recycled content, serves as a beacon of sustainability by facilitating the processing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer and post-industrial waste into viable, sustainable feedstocks.

•  Propylene Glycol REN, featuring Ecolibrium™ bio-circular technology, offers a pathway towards reducing reliance on fossil fuel-based feedstocks, thereby contributing to a more sustainable future.

These new PG solutions, CIR and REN, have been meticulously crafted to assist customers in attaining their circularity and sustainability objectives. With versatility spanning various industries including personal care, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, flavorings, fragrances, agriculture, and industrial applications, these solutions promise to drive sustainability across multiple sectors.

As Dow continues its steadfast journey towards sustainability, it remains committed to exploring innovative avenues for incorporating alternative feedstocks, particularly those with bio-circular origins or sourced from post-industrial consumer waste. The mass balance approach, characterized by verifiable bookkeeping, serves as a cornerstone in tracing and attributing the flow of sustainable materials through intricate value chains, all without compromising the integrity of the production process.

Source: DOW