Building on its mission to accelerate the transition to more sustainable plastics and packaging, materials science company VOID Technologies (VOID) has appointed Diego Donoso to a senior advisory role. Donoso recently retired from his role as President of Dow Inc’s Packaging and Specialty Plastics operating segment and brings more than 30 years of commercialization and marketing leadership.
In this senior advisory role, Donoso will provide strategic guidance and support business development alongside VOID’s CEO and Board of Directors. The move supports VOID’s ability to address growing interest in its unique, market-ready VO+ thermoplastics cavitation technology. VO+ technology can produce high-performance, opaque films that use 35% less plastic and reduce CO2 emissions.
“I’m delighted that Diego has joined our team at this exciting time of growth for our Company,” said VOID Technologies’ Chief Executive Officer, James Gibson. “His knowledge of the industry will be hugely valuable as we work with more packaging converters and brand owners to bring greater sustainability to a wide range of packaging applications. With end-to-end supply chain trials in progress, we are positioned to grow quickly, and are adding expertise to support the next phase of our journey.”
VOID’s extensively patented VO+ technology is a novel approach to cavitating polymers and offers a step change in performance and recyclability. Instead of relying on minerals such as CaCO3, VOID uses multi-component polymeric formulations to achieve a combination of nano- and micro-scale cavitation. The resulting cavitated structure scatters light, producing high levels of opacity without pigments such as TiO2.
“James has assembled a highly impressive team that includes respected engineers, scientists and commercial experts from leading companies such as Dow, Amcor and Kimberly-Clark,” Donoso said. “We are committed to working alongside packaging converters and brands to accelerate the transition to recycle ready structures and put them ahead of their competition with high-performing, more sustainable packaging solutions.”
VO+ technology is most advanced for the rapidly growing market of Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) PE film. With the combined ability to downgauge and reduce film densities to approximately 0.80 g/cc, VO+ voided structures can reduce plastic consumption and make more flexible packaging suitable for recycling. Currently, highly pigmented opaque PE films have densities approaching 1.0 g/cc and so cannot be separated via sink/float separation recycling systems. VOID has developed a range of large-volume recycle ready packaging structures based on VO+ cavitated MDO PE films, including laminates, wicketed bags, and high opacity HDPE flow wrap films for confectionery and labels.
Donoso led Dow’s largest business segment for more than 10 years and was instrumental in setting the course for Dow’s decarbonize and grow strategy. He has held numerous business, marketing, commercial and executive leadership positions for Dow, representing Dow’s resins and plastics franchise in Latin America, Europe and globally. For Dow, Donoso served as President of Dow Japan and Korea and for Dow’s global P&SP business, and was responsible for driving business growth, progress against corporate ESG objectives, and leading industry efforts to drive a circular economy for plastics by reducing their loss to landfills and the environment.