Berry Global Group Inc., Peel Plastic Products Ltd., and ExxonMobil have announced that they are working together to integrate International Sustainability and Carbon Certificate (ISCC) PLUS certified-circular plastics into pet food packaging for household brand names. The collaboration leverages ExxonMobil’s Exxtend^TM technology for advanced recycling, which processes plastic waste and attributes it to new plastic for food-grade packaging through a mass balance approach.

“With the promise of advanced recycling, we can change what is traditionally considered waste and transform it into innovative products made to be remade – accelerating the shift to a circular economy,” said Wesley Porter, Business Development Director – Sustainability and Innovation, Berry Global. “Working across the plastics value chain to increase the use of recycled and certified-circular content helps keep precious resources in use instead of becoming waste in our environment.”

Advanced recycling technology helps capture the value of plastics that currently go unrecycled, like snack wrappers, food pouches, and plastic toys. Unlike other recycling technologies, the resulting circular plastics are identical to those made from conventional feedstock and can be used in contact-sensitive, food-grade packaging solutions.

“We’re committed to building a brighter future for plastic packaging, and designing circularity into our solutions plays an integral role in doing so. We’re extremely excited to be at the forefront of this innovative approach, enabling us to offer circular packaging solutions to our partners in the pet food industry,” said Mark Liberman, VP Sales and Marketing for Peel Plastics.

Berry matched Peel Plastics’ desire for sustainability benefits across its Think Green portfolio using ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling. In addition to industry-leading access to certified-circular resins, Berry’s manufacturing expertise enables it to deliver plastic films that are ready for circular resin integration.

“We are proud to work with Berry and Peel Plastics to bring another certified-circular solution to pet food brand owners,” said Matt Loach, global marketing manager, polyethylene, ExxonMobil. “It is also noteworthy that this is our first sale of certified-circular polymers into Canada leveraging Exxtend technology, and we look forward to continuing our work across the plastic value chain to develop products that deliver exceptional performance, while also supporting the global circular economy.”

To help better serve customers' shared and increasing interest in certified-circular content with speed, Berry and ExxonMobil have entered into a supply agreement for ISCC PLUS certified-circular resins. Exxtend technology enables plastic waste to be co-processed along with traditional feedstocks, helping reduce scale-up costs and accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

The ISCC PLUS designation supports customer demand for packaging with sustainability benefits by ensuring materials adhere to the ISCC’s PLUS mass balance attribution approach and have traceability along the supply chain.