Pactiv Evergreen partners with ExxonMobil to leverage advanced recycling for foodservice packaging
29 Sep 2023 --- Pactiv Evergreen, a fresh F&B packaging manufacturer in North America, has joined forces with ExxonMobil to deliver certified-circular packaging solutions to major food brands and foodservice providers.
Pactiv Evergreen will utilize ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling to convert PP into packaging materials bearing the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus “certified-circular” label.
By employing the Exxtend technology, plastic waste is broken down into its molecular building blocks, subsequently contributing to the creation of numerous valuable new products, including PP, through a mass balance approach. The technology can broaden the range of plastic materials suitable for recycling, delivering performance and quality on par with virgin plastics.
“Pactiv Evergreen produces more than 14,000 products in 14 different materials that protect, package and display fresh food and beverages,” shares Tim Levenda, president of Pactiv Evergreen’s Foodservice business unit.
“Our broad material expertise allows us to support our customers quickly and effectively, and our collaboration with ExxonMobil enables us to offer additional innovative packaging options to our customers with an expanded portfolio of circular packaging.”
ExxonMobil sees “tremendous opportunity” in the foodservice packaging industry to drive circularity.
“In the foodservice industry, we see tremendous opportunity to help address consumer demand for more circular products, without sacrificing performance or safety for PP products in food-contact applications,” says Olivier Lorge, global marketing manager for Polypropylene, Vistamaxx and Exact at ExxonMobil.
Circularity
Packaging Insights recently explored whether mechanical or advanced recycling is the way forward for a circular economy. Market researcher Innova Market Insights pegged “Plastics circularization” as top packaging trend for 2023, noting that investment in chemical waste recycling is rising. Meanwhile, Rabobank predicted that advanced recycling plants will double to approximately 140 globally by 2025.
To meet circularity challenges in foodservice packaging, ExxonMobil, along with Sealed Air, Cyclyx International and Ahold Delhaize USA, announced in May that their advanced recycling collaboration launched in April 2022 will be scaled up after the successful conclusion of a trial.
“This project helps demonstrate how Exxtend technology can widen the range of plastic materials that can be recycled while delivering certified-circular polymers with the critical performance attributes of virgin plastic,” said Dan Moore, vice president of Polyethylene, ExxonMobil.
Edited by Radhika Sikaria
