SEE, formerly Sealed Air, and ExxonMobil have collaborated on an advanced recycling initiative for food-grade plastics which will potentially will divert approximately 900 tonnes of plastic waste annually from landfill or incineration.
SEE Australia will offer its Cryovac brand preformed food packaging trays containing resins leveraging ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling and mass balance attribution.
As one of the first such initiatives for fresh red meat trays in Australia, the collaboration addresses the critical challenge in driving a circular economy for food-grade plastics that have strict hygiene and performance requirements for food protection and distribution.
In this project, SEE Australia will start introducing the circular trays to the Australian market with the intention to move its entire Australian-made tray portfolio to the new solution over time.
The resins and tray manufacturing are certified to the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS standard, and the circular trays are curbside recyclable in Australia.
The project will help support innovation to widen the range of plastics that can be recycled, while ensuring the safety and quality of packaged fresh foods.
ExxonMobil general manager for advanced recycling and sustainability in the Asia Pacific region Kwee-Lin Chan said, “We are delighted to work with SEE on this important project and excited that our ISCC PLUS certified-circular plastics leveraging Exxtend technology and mass balance attribution will play an important role in helping to address a challenge facing the food industry.
“This partnership marks an important milestone for certified-circular resins to be used to produce tray packaging solutions for retail. It’s a significant extension of our collaboration with SEE and helps demonstrate the importance of value chain collaboration to support the circular plastic economy.”
SEE Asia Pacific president Alessandra Faccin added, “This partnership opens up new possibilities in recycling high-performance materials. For SEE, it puts us closer to achieving our 2025 sustainability and materials pledge. Collaboration with our partners is key to drive the adoption of a circular business model, and this is exactly what we’re doing with ExxonMobil”.
