Dow announces bio-based NORDEL™ REN EPDM at DKT 2024

 Dow (NYSE: DOW) is proud to announce at the German Rubber Conference (DKT) 2024 the launch of NORDEL™ REN Ethylene Propylene Diene Terpolymers (EPDM), a bio-based version of Dow’s EPDM rubber material that goes into automotive, infrastructure and consumer applications.

A key component of automotive weatherseals and hoses, Dow aims to support not just the automotive industry in achieving its sustainability goals with the launch of NORDEL™ REN EPDM, but as EPDM also goes into building profiles, roofing membranes, wire and cable, among others, NORDEL™ REN EPDM can help the decarbonization of building and construction and more.

“At Dow, we recognize the necessity to support our customers in their decarbonization journeys, as we drive towards our own carbon neutrality,” said Zshelyz Lee, Global Automotive Plastics Circularity Team Leader. “With our commitment to deliver 3 million metric tons per year of circular and renewable solutions by 2030, we are proud to bring NORDEL™ REN EPDM as the newest offering to help our customers achieve their ambitious sustainability goals and create a better tomorrow.” 

By using bio residues from other industries as raw material, NORDEL™ REN EPDM can further support Dow customers in the rubber industry to offer their own customers a lower-carbon product. As only waste residues or by-products from an alternative production process are utilized, these raw feedstock materials will not consume extra land resources nor compete with the food chain.

The plant-based EPDM will be made through an ISCC PLUS certified mass balance system which traces the flow of bio-based raw material through a complex value chain and attributes it through verifiable bookkeeping. Crucially, the resulting product offers identical performance to virgin material with no requalification required, helping customers accelerate their transition to more sustainable options without the need for additional time or carbon emissions from the construction and maintenance of a new parallel production stream.

Dow’s Path to Zero

The arrival of NORDEL™ REN EPDM is part of Dow’s continuous endeavors towards carbon neutrality. The technology behind NORDEL™ EPDM production, Dow’s Advanced Molecular Catalyst, already results in a highly efficient process that uses 24% less energy than the conventional Ziegler-Natta process, and thus 39% lower carbon footprint for the standard NORDEL™ EPDM grades, which has been validated by a third-party life cycle analysis (LCA).

Aside from extending its range of innovative low-carbon options to help customers reduce their Scope 3 emissions, the company is also accelerating investments in renewables and transformative next-generation technologies to reduce its own Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, achieve net zero and protect the planet.

Discover Dow’s portfolio of rubber technologies for decarbonization on show at DKT 2024

NORDEL™ REN is featured at the DKT 2024 along with a range of EPDM and Silicone rubber technologies on show that help lower the carbon footprint of diverse industries:

1. SILASTIC™ Solutions for Electric Vehicles (EV) including High Consistency Rubbers (HCR) and Liquid Silicone Rubbers (LSR) for fire protection and connectivity, advancing electrification of the automotive industry to reduce tailpipe emissions

2. SILASTIC™ Silicone for Self-Sealing Tires, designed to form a self-sealing layer on the inner surface of a tire, allowing long-distance driving without loss of air pressure and supporting easy disassembly of vehicle part for separate recycling of silicone

3. NORDEL™ EPDM innovation for Microdense Weatherseals, aiding in the reduction of overall density of weatherseals and of tailpipe emissions through lightweighting, by bringing enough strength to maintain critical performance of the rubber material

4. Dow’s patented innovation for the creation of LUXSENSE™ Silicone Synthetic Leather, the world’s first silicone-based luxury synthetic material bringing sustainability with lower carbon emissions cradle to gate, solvent-free fabrication process, and animal-free, while offering exceptional haptic feedback and remarkable abrasion resistance

Visit hall 8, stand 103a from 1 – 4 July in Nuremberg, Germany, to learn more about Dow’s innovative rubber options to advance a more sustainable future.

About Dow
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.