Amcor and Dow Launch Strategic Collaboration to Accelerate Low-Carbon Packaging Adoption
Amcor and Dow have announced a strategic collaboration designed to help brands and retailers accelerate adoption of low-carbon packaging solutions. The partnership, unveiled on September 17, 2026, connects Amcor’s packaging innovation, manufacturing expertise and global reach with Dow’s low-carbon polyethylene, materials science capabilities and carbon footprint methodology.
The collaboration comes at a critical moment for the packaging industry. Companies across sectors have set ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for Scope 3 emissions — the indirect emissions that occur upstream and downstream in a company’s value chain and often represent the largest share of its carbon footprint. Yet many brands and retailers struggle to translate these commitments into tangible packaging changes.
“Scope 3 emissions occur upstream and downstream in the value chain, making it difficult to reduce,” said David Clark, chief sustainability officer at Amcor. “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.”
The partnership addresses a fundamental challenge: the gap between consumer interest in sustainable packaging and commercial commitment. “One of the biggest barriers to decarbonization is the gap between consumer interest and commercial commitment,” said Keith Cleason, business president of Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow. “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 commercialization of low-carbon packaging solutions across the value chain.”
Central to the collaboration is the Carbon Footprint Ledger (CFL) methodology, which builds on existing industry precedents of mass balance in greenhouse gas accounting. CFL provides independently assured product carbon footprint information aligned with internationally recognized standards, including ISO 14067 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard. Combined with Amcor’s packaging expertise, the approach gives customers greater visibility into the climate impact of their packaging choices.
Under the collaboration, Amcor and Dow will work together to identify technically and commercially viable packaging applications, engage value chain partners early in the adoption process, and provide carbon footprint information to support customers as they navigate complex packaging decisions. The companies aim to make it easier for brands and retailers to evaluate and integrate low-carbon packaging options that support both business growth and sustainability objectives.
The collaboration reflects the growing importance of coordinated value-chain action. By bringing together Amcor’s global manufacturing footprint — approximately 400 locations across more than 40 countries — with Dow’s materials science leadership and low-carbon polyethylene portfolio, the partnership creates a more connected approach to addressing emissions challenges that can be difficult for any single company to tackle alone.
Amcor brings 75,000 people generating $23 billion in annual sales, while Dow operates manufacturing sites in 29 countries with approximately 34,600 employees and delivered roughly $40 billion in sales in 2025. The scale of both organizations positions this collaboration to drive meaningful change across global packaging supply chains.
Source: Amcor press release, September 17, 2026 EOF