Perspective Feb. 25, 2022

From plastic waste to valuable - goods going circular with Exxtend^TM

ExxonMobil recently made its first shipment of certified circular plastic from Baytown, Texas, where in 2021 we processed almost 4 million pounds of plastic waste that would’ve otherwise likely ended up in a landfill. That’s the equivalent of recycling 360 million grocery bags.

Perspective Feb. 25, 2022

Our shipment was delivered to Berry Global, a world-leader in innovative packaging and engineered products that is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, a hub of American manufacturing. There, these certified circular plastics will become food grade containers.

All of this was made possible by Exxtend^TM technology, which enables our high-performance plastics to go circular while meeting the stringent health and safety requirements of critical food contact and medical applications. With Exxtend^TM, we can help create a more circular world.

This is why we have plans to build around 1 billion pounds of annual advanced recycling capacity by year-end 2026, a pivotal part of our commitment to help society reduce the wasteful littering, landfilling, and incineration of plastic waste.

We need everyone’s help for advanced recycling technologies to reach their full potential. Working together, communities, government and businesses can expand access to recycling programs so that more plastic waste can be collected, sorted, and turned back into valuable resources. Together, we all must make the shift from the garbage bin to the “blue” bin so that more plastics can be recycled for further use.

This thought inspired us to help launch action-oriented initiatives like the Houston Recycling Collaboration, an industry collaboration with the City of Houston aiming to transform America’s fourth largest municipality into a leading circularity hub.

We also support the need for sound government policy, including enhanced recycling standards that fully recognize and embrace the importance of new technologies like advanced recycling. In the U.S., our industry has outlined five specific actions policy-makers can take to support a more circular economy for plastics.

By working together – industry, governments, communities and consumers — we can build a better system, recycle more plastic and lower GHG emissions, all while enjoying the critical benefits that plastics provide in our everyday lives.