Putting circularity into circulation

ExxonMobil  is unlocking the value of a wider range of plastic material that can be difficult to recycle through mechanical processes. By breaking down plastics to the molecular level, Exxtend technology for advanced recycling creates building blocks that can then be used to create new virgin-quality plastic and other valuable products that can be put back into the value chain.

The quality and performance of certified-circular polymers are identical to polymers made from conventional fossil feedstock. Customers can have confidence incorporating certified-circular polymers into existing applications, including medical and food packaging.

Exxtend technology for advanced recycling also results in lower greenhouse gas emissions when processing plastic waste than when processing the same amount of fossil-based feedstocks, according to a cradle-to-gate carbon footprint assessment by Sphera, a leading sustainability consulting group for life cycle assessments.

Certified-circular polymers

ExxonMobil has obtained certifications through the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS (ISCC PLUS) process for several of its facilities. ISCC PLUS is widely recognized by industry as an effective system to certify products that result from advanced recycling using mass balance attribution of plastic waste. Several of their facilities have been certified, including Baytown, Texas; and Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon in France.

500,000 metric tons of global capacity

In December 2022, ExxonMobil started up one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in North America. The facility at our integrated manufacturing complex in Baytown, Texas, is capable of processing 40,000 metric tons of plastic waste per year. Since the start of pilot operations at Baytown in 2021, ExxonMobil has recycled 6,700 metric tons of plastic waste, which has enabled them to make initial sales of certified-circular polymers to customers.

Leveraging ExxonMobil’s existing manufacturing assets around the world, Exxtend technology can be rapidly scaled to process a wide range of plastic waste. Plans are underway for up to 500,000 metric tons per year of advanced recycling capacity to be added by year-end 2026 across multiple sites globally, including in the U.S. Gulf Coast, Canada, the Netherlands and Singapore.

ExxonMobil  is also collaborating with third parties to assess the potential for large-scale implementation of advanced recycling technologies and opportunities to support improvements to plastic waste collection and sorting in Malaysia and Indonesia.