BANGKOK – October 7, 2020 – Dow Thailand, together with its local partner, SCG, has signed an agreement with the Department of Highways, the Department of Rural Roads, and Chiang Mai University to explore the use of plastic waste as a mixture of asphalt for roadworks in Thailand. The project aims at advancing Circular Economy and stop plastic waste from entering the environment by adding value to post-consumer plastics as well as strengthening community enterprise on waste separation.
The study includes but is not limited to laboratory-based experiments and on-site testing for road performance, safety, and durability. If proven successful, the formula will be announced as one of the official road construction standards, which will enable a huge number of plastic waste to be diverted from the landfills.
Mr. Chatchai Luanpolcharoenchai, Dow Thailand President, said, “Dow has been implementing the recycled plastic road project in many countries such as the United States, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Our objectives are to find a solution for hard-to-recycle plastics, create value to plastic waste, and at the same time, increase awareness on effective resource usage according to the Circular Economy principle. Since the beginning of the project, we have diverted plastic waste equivalent to more than 50 million pouches.
The initial formula contains 8-10% of plastic waste mixed with 90-92% of asphalt concrete. A 1-kilometer stretch of a 6-meter wide of the road incorporating recycled plastics consumes approximately 3 tons of plastics or 900,000 standing pouches. Incorporating post-consumer plastics into roads is beneficial both to the waste management and the road durability as it strengthens the asphalt roads to be 15 - 33% stronger than conventional ones.
Since 2018, Dow Thailand and SCG have built more than 46,000 square meters of plastic roads in Thailand using more than 23 metric tons of used plastics that would otherwise be left as waste. The new collaboration with Thai government authorities is a great opportunity to scale up the project to positively impact Thailand and the region.
About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation and leading business positions to achieve profitable growth. The Company’s ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, automotive and consumer care. Dow operates 109 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 36,500 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $43 billion in 2019. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter and www.facebook.com/DowThailandGroup/.
For further information, please contact:
Apiradee Poopirom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 02-3657296 / 081-8026933
papiradee@dow.com
Suttipong Krotintakom
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 038-673315 / 081-7919626
skrotintakom@dow.com
Lalida, Tisadondilok
Dow Thailand Group
Tel: 02-365-7228 / 089-6687079
lalida@dow.com