Circularity that works: decisions, collaboration, and scale to turn waste into value

*By Jonyane Araújo (JA), Sr. Business Sustainability Manager, Dow

Talking about circularity is increasingly common. Making circularity happen consistently and at scale is still one of the biggest challenges in our industry. Turning waste into new products requires more than intention: it demands technical decisions, collaboration across different parts of the value chain, and a pragmatic approach to material use.

At Dow, we’ve learned that circularity only moves forward when it leaves the conceptual space and enters real-world practice. This means dealing with real limitations—such as infrastructure, waste quality, and economic feasibility—while working collaboratively to overcome them.

Circularity is a system choice, not an isolated action

A common mistake is to treat recycling as a solution disconnected from the rest of the value chain. In practice, it depends on decisions made long before disposal. Materials designed without considering their end of life tend to be lost within the system. On the other hand, smarter design choices can significantly expand circularity potential.

That’s why Dow works alongside customers, converters, and partners to promote solutions that balance performance, safety, and compatibility with recycling systems. For us, circularity is not an isolated attribute, but a feature integrated into product and application development.

Collaboration across the value chain: from intention to execution

No company can close the loop alone. Experience shows that fragmented initiatives have limited impact. Advancing circularity requires collaboration among those who design, produce, collect, recycle, and reintroduce materials into the market.

In recent years, we have strengthened partnerships with recyclers, waste managers, brands, and industry initiatives to create more efficient connections across the value chain. These collaborations enable testing solutions, learning quickly, and adjusting course—an essential process for gaining scale and consistency.

REVOLOOP™: when circularity reaches the market

Incorporating recycled plastic into new applications is one of the most direct ways to keep materials in use and generate value from waste. The REVOLOOP™ resin line reflects this effort by offering solutions with post-consumer recycled content designed to meet technical and commercial market requirements.

More than a response to the demand for circular materials, REVOLOOP™ represents continuous learning: quality, availability, and performance are real challenges that can only be addressed with transparency, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain. Viable circularity is the kind that works in the real world.

Recycling as an ongoing agenda

Commemorative dates help bring visibility to the topic, but recycling must be treated as a continuous agenda. The challenges are structural and require long-term commitment, infrastructure investment, and ongoing system evolution.

At Dow, we see circularity as a work in progress. This involves testing solutions, acknowledging limitations, learning from partners, and adjusting strategies as the system evolves. Advancing responsibly is just as important as advancing quickly.

The next step in circularity

Turning waste into new products is not just an environmental response—it is an opportunity for innovation, efficiency, and shared value creation. But this only happens with conscious decisions, real collaboration, and a focus on practical solutions.

We will continue collaborating with initiatives such as Movimento Circular to accelerate the transition to more circular models, connecting ambition with execution. Because impactful circularity is the kind that works for the entire value chain.

*With a career at Dow since 2011, Jonyane Araújo began in Finance and later worked in Procurement, focusing on efficiency, innovation, and sustainability. Since 2024, she has been part of the Packaging and Specialty Plastics business as Senior Sustainability Manager, leading the plastics circularity strategy in Brazil, acting as a regional Carbon SME and as a liaison with Government Relations in Latin America.

**This text was automatically translated with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed. Still, there may be slight differences compared to the original version in Portuguese.