Amcor and Dow have partnered to support brands and retailers in moving more quickly towards lower-carbon packaging.
The collaboration brings together Amcor's packaging development and manufacturing capabilities with Dow's polyethylene portfolio, materials science work and carbon footprint expertise.
The joint effort will focus on helping customers introduce and expand packaging formats that meet performance, quality and functional needs while also contributing to Scope 3 emissions goals.
As part of the work, the companies plan to assess packaging uses that are technically and commercially practical.
They seek to involve other parts of the value chain at an earlier stage and supply carbon footprint data to aid customer decision-making.
Dow packaging and speciality plastics business president Keith Cleason said: "Together with Amcor, we are testing a new commercial model through market-based mechanisms to reduce adoption risk, create clearer demand signals and help accelerate commercialisation of low-carbon packaging solutions across the value chain.
"We are making it easier for brands and retailers to evaluate and integrate low-carbon packaging options that support both business growth and sustainability objectives."
At the centre of the initiative is the carbon footprint ledger (CFL) method, which the companies said draws on established industry practice around mass balance in GHG accounting.
CFL offers independently assured product carbon footprint data in line with internationally recognised frameworks, including ISO 14067 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard.
Amcor said that, alongside its packaging capabilities, the method is meant to provide customers with clearer information on the climate effects of packaging choices and help them compare lower-carbon options.
Amcor chief sustainability officer David Clark said: "Bringing low-carbon polyethylene to market in packaging that meets the same technical and design standards is one of the simplest ways to help shrink a product's carbon footprint. Because it's truly a drop-in solution for brands, we see this collaboration as an exciting opportunity for them to translate climate commitments into action."
