Amcor Rigid Packaging – PepsiCo 2.5 L PET returnable, reusable, and refillable bottle  

Amcor, in partnership with GEEP, PepsiCo’s exclusive bottler in Mexico, created a 100% recyclable and refillable 2.5 L polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle. Based on Amcor’s lab testing and when compared to one-way or single use bottles, this PET bottle can be refilled up to 25 times before being recycled. (Other returnable bottles available in the market can be returned and refilled on average only about 12-15 times). This PET returnable, reusable, and refillable bottle supports the circular economy by decreasing manufacturing costs, reducing carbon footprint, and saving energy, all while providing a lower price point for consumers. 

These bottles are made from PET that differs from generic PET due to the special properties in the raw material, bottle design and manufacturing process that is tailor-made to allow hot filling and carbonated soft drink (CSD) packaging, and to be washed and refilled multiple times. While a one-way (single use) bottle would deform during the washing process, the PET returnable bottle is designed to withstand high temperature conditions as well as CSD requirements. 

Amcor’s life cycle assessment from cradle (raw material) to gate (production) of the PET returnable bottle against a common glass bottle demonstrates that non-renewable energy consumption is reduced by 57% and water consumption is reduced by 49%, ultimately leading to an overall carbon footprint reduction of 78%. 

Danimer Scientific – Nodax® 

Danimer Scientific’s Nodax® is the brand name for the first commercialized version of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), an environmentally attractive yet functionally equivalent alternative to conventional petroleum-based single-use plastics. Nodax® can be used in a variety of plastic applications, including films, straws and food containers, and is FDA approved in food contact applications. It remains functional through a wide range of temperatures and is known for its strength, flexibility, ductility, toughness and elasticity. 

Following use, Nodax® PHA rapidly biodegrades under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions — in as quickly as a few months for some items, rather than the hundreds of years typical of petrochemical plastics. Nodax® has been proven through strict testing to be a reliable biodegradable alternative to petrochemical plastics. 

Our PHA is a polyester created through a fermentation process using a bacterium fed by inexpensive oils derived from the seeds of canola plants. After PHA is extracted from the bacteria, then purified and dried into a powder form, it can then be turned into pellets, injection molded into specific shapes or extruded into films. In the presence of microbial activity, such as soil, water, or industrial compost, Nodax® PHA will biodegrade in as quickly as three months. 

ExxonMobil – ExxtendTM technology for advanced recycling  

In December 2022, we started up a large-scale facility in Baytown, Texas – one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in North America, with the capacity to process 80 million pounds of plastic waste per year.  Working with our joint venture Cyclyx, municipalities, customers and others, we are collaborating to improve the collection and sorting of plastic waste, including investing in Cyclyx’s first-of-its-kind plastic waste processing facility. 

Once the plastic is prepared for processing, it is fed into a conversion unit at our facility in Baytown, Texas, where it is chemically broken down back into molecular building blocks. Those building blocks are mixed with our standard hydrocarbon feed streams and become the raw materials for making a variety of valuable new products, including virgin-quality plastic. 

Based on a third-party certification that we have received from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (known as “ISCC”), we are able to take credit for plastic waste that we take in as feedstock and attribute that share to certified-circular polymers that we can sell to customers. This ISCC “PLUS” certification scheme relies on what is known as a mass balance approach. 

Transform Materials – Microwave Plasma acetylene production, fit for chemical PVC recycling 

Transform developed a clean process to produce acetylene and hydrogen from natural gas. Acetylene combines with HCl from chemical PVC recycling to form VCM, the precursor for PVC. This promotes circularity and solves the problem of chemical PVC recycling. Our process utilizes hydrocarbon gasses (natural gas, methane, biogas, RNG, flare gas, etc.) and electricity to transform these molecules into hydrogen and acetylene via a microwave induced plasma reactor. The valuable co-products are then isolated and purified. 

Current acetylene production emits 19 kg CO2e per kg acetylene. Our innovative process reduces this footprint by over 60%. These acetylene molecules are easily reacted with the HCl output from chemical PVC recycling to form fresh VCM, ready to be polymerized into PVC. As mechanical recycling of PVC is relatively advanced, chemical recycling will truly solve the problem of PVC recycling as over 50% of PVC by weight is from Chlorine!