Dow Chemical Company recently announced at the inaugural Our Ocean Conference in Washington, DC that the company will spend $2.8 million in an effort to find solutions to the problem of plastic packaging waste impacting our marine wildlife and oceans around the world. The conference was hosted by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
Dow recognizes that oceans and waterways around the globe are littered with plastic debris including plastic bottles, bags, six-pack can rings from sodas and beer, and other debris. The money Dow is investing in finding science-based solutions will be divided and used in two areas, according to news reports.
About half of the $2.8 million is slated to support ongoing research and developing new technologies that will ultimately make flexible packaging more recyclable, and chemical recycling technologies that will hopefully make it possible to create new materials from plastics that are non-recycled. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is one example of research being done to create a more circular economy where plastic packaging is concerned.
The other half of Dow’s investment will be used to focus on programs that educate people regarding recycling and littering, and sponsoring the Ocean Conservancy‘s research and waste management pilot programs and other collaborative projects.
Dow is highly proactive when it comes to preventing waste and coastal clean-up initiatives, and realizes that plastic waste often ends up where it shouldn’t be – on coastlines and in our oceans and other waters. The company is committed to their efforts in helping mitigate or stop the polluting of our oceans with marine debris.
Plastic packaging is not a bad thing; it’s the failure of developing recycling solutions and littering that cause the problems.
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