Packaging giant Amcor has announced plans going forward to include in its material choices certified circular polyethylene material produced using ExxonMobil's Exxtend technology for advanced recycling. The company said it will incorporate the use of these circular polymers across its global portfolio.
Using circular materials is one of the routes Amcor is pursuing to meet its sustainability pledge to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025.
"Using advanced recycled materials is yet another step forward in Amcor meeting the challenges of our industry and offering our customers more sustainable packaging solutions," said Amcor Chief Commercial Officer Peter Konieczny.
The use of these materials will significantly add to the 113,000 metric tons of recycled material Amcor used in its packaging in fiscal year 2021.
ExxonMobil has developed a proprietary advanced recycling technology in which chemical processes are used to break down hard-to-recycle plastics to the molecular level. The technology was piloted at ExxonMobil’s Baytown complex. During the trial more than 1,000 metric tons of plastic waste were successfully recycled – the equivalent of 200 million grocery bags – and it was demonstrated that it was possible to process 50 metric tons per day. ExxonMobil is now scaling up operations with the construction of a new facility with an initial planned capacity to recycle 30,000 metric tons of plastic waste per year and plans to build approximately 500,000 metric tons of advanced recycling capacity globally over the next five years.
The plastic waste is broken down into its constituent parts, producing raw materials that can be used to produce new polymers that are no different in quality and performance from ones made with virgin raw materials. Customers can thus increase the use of recycled content in their packaging without compromising on quality or performance.
Using its Exxtend technology, ExxonMobil offers certified circular polymers with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC PLUS) certification, which is widely recognized as an effective standard for certifying the circularity of chemical products that result from advanced recycling operations via mass balance attribution.
"By leveraging ExxonMobil's Exxtend technology across our global product portfolio, Amcor is providing a true differentiator for our customers and the environment,”said Konieczny.