Dow, Vishakha and Dharmesh Foods Join Forces to Advance Recyclable Packaging Solutions for Wheat Packaging in India

MUMBAI, India, July 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Dow Packaging & Specialty Plastics (Dow P&SP), announced today the advancement of a partnership with a local leading barrier film manufacturer, Vishakha Group, to develop a “Recyclable Barrier Film” for Solids packaging. These films will be used for the first time by Dharmesh Foods for vacuum-packing wheat.

Wheat is conventionally sold loose to consumers in India. As one of the recognized wheat processors in India, Dharmesh Foods is pushing the industry towards the use of vacuum-packed flexible packaging in order to increase shelf life and avoid contamination. Vishakha’s Recyclable Barrier Films is ideally suitable for the application, as it can extend shelf life, reduce food wastage, and is also recyclable.

Jigish Doshi, CMD of Vishakha Polyfab Pvt Ltd, said, “We at Vishakha always strive to contribute to the future of the country, by developing sustainable solutions for agriculture, renewable energy, storage, and in this case, packaging materials that allow for a longer shelf life. This recyclable barrier film solution will not only add to the shelf life of the product and reduce food waste, it also helps communities in allowing for recycling of the packaging itself.”

Vipul Babu, Sales Director for Dow P&SP India SC, said, “The joint effort between Dow P&SP, Vishakha team and Dharmesh Foods saw the three companies come together to co-develop a nylon-based barrier film enabled by Dow’s RETAIN™ Compatibilizer to make recyclable packaging for wheat. This partnership brings valuable stakeholders together to foster positive impacts with sustainable packaging solutions.”

RETAIN™ Polymer Modifiers were developed using Dow’s extensive knowledge of materials science and reactive chemistry to enable the efficient compatibilization of two otherwise immiscible materials, while maintaining critical value-added physical properties. RETAIN™ is specifically designed to compatibilize polyamide (nylon) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH) into a continuous polyethylene matrix.

This innovative technology is based on a reactive, ultra-low viscosity compatibilizer. Reactive groups “coat” the polar components, encapsulating them into micro-domains to enable excellent dispersion. When blended at specified ratios with pelletized barrier film recycle streams, the RETAIN™ polymers allow recyclers to re-process used barrier films into conventional polyethylene based recycle streams.

Dharmesh Thakkar, owner of Dharmesh Foods said, “We’re committed to securing a healthy and sustainable future for India. Our partnership with Dow P&SP and Vishakha allows us to use state-of-the-art recyclable barrier films, which ensure better taste and increased shelf life. This is a significant breakthrough for the wheat industry, which can offer our customers better quality of daily life, as well as providing environmental benefits.”

About Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics

Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), combines core strengths of R&D, worldwide reach, broad product lines and industry expertise to deliver high performing technologies for end use markets in food packaging, personal hygiene, infrastructure, consumer goods and transportation. P&SP is one of the world’s largest producers of polyethylene resins, functional polymers, and adhesives. Enabled by Pack Studios, it is a leading innovator and collaborator across the value chain in sustainable application development and circular economy life-cycle designs for plastics. www.dowpackaging.com

About Dow India

Dow Chemical International Private Limited (Dow India) aims to be the most innovative, sustainable, inclusive customer-centric materials science company. The Company is committed to delivering the right solutions to its customers’ challenges every day. With broadest technology sets spanning performance materials, industrial intermediates, and plastics Dow India delivers differentiated science-based products and solutions in high-growth segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer care.

With approximately 1000 employees, its operations are spread over 7 locations in the country, including three manufacturing plants, two established Centers of Excellence, and two commercial offices. As a responsible corporate, the company supports its Corporate Social Responsibility (program) with technology expertise and employee volunteerism. Dow India works with non-profit partners towards the empowerment of differently-abled, women, and children in communities where it operates. The Company aims to redefine the societal blueprint, by supporting holistic sustainability and circular economy initiatives.

About Vishakha

Vishakha is a pioneer in 7- & 9-layer film packaging in India, providing a comprehensive range of products for liquid, semi-liquid and solid packaging for food and non-food applications, as well as for industrial applications. Our national and international accreditations, including BRC & ISO certification, vouch for our world-class products. We have esteemed clients across India, USA, Europe, Australia, Middle East, Asia, Africa and more who trust us for our exemplary quality, innovation, customization and service. We manufacture up to 9-layer Air & Water Quenched co-extrusion films, Rotogravure, CI Flexo printing, Lamination and Pouches. Vishakha is one of the largest high-barrier coextruded flexible film manufacturers in India, with factory premises covering over 99,000 square meters in two locations and a production capacity of over 27,000 metric tons. VISHAKHA GROUP, is a leader in flexible packaging, solar renewable products, material handling solutions, drip irrigation systems and pipes, plastic agricultural films and liners. Visit www.vishakha.com for more details.

About Dharmesh Foods

From its modest beginnings in 1996, Dharmesh Food Process Pvt. Ltd., has been a dynamic, hands-on, family-operated business. Starting with wheat processing in Gujarat in 1996 and expanding to Madhya Pradesh in 2013, Dharmesh has grown into a high-tech food processing company – which includes being the first in India to use colour-sorting technology for wheat processing, with a 7-stage cleaning process to remove abnormal colour to avoid the risk of bacterial infection, while also raising the overall food quality.

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