U.S. packaging supplier Pregis North America has begun producing a polyethylene foam that incorporates resin sourced from ExxonMobil’s chemical recycling operations.
Chicago-headquartered Pregis is using ExxonMobil’s Exxtend resin, which is processed using a chemical recycling technology that takes scrap plastic down to its molecular level. ExxonMobil produces the resin at a facility in Baytown, Texas, and Pregis is using it in foam packaging produced at its Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Visalia, California, manufacturing plants.
In a statement, Pregis said its PE foam offers customers a way to meet their sustainability commitments without sacrificing the protective qualities of foam packaging.
The companies did not disclose what percentage recycled resin makes up within the PE foam packaging.ExxonMobil’s chemically recycled resin was already featured in other Pregis products, including in sealant film used in PE pouches. The packaging firm also uses traditional mechanically recycled resin in a number of its products.