LOCALLY-PRODUCED, WORLDWIDE IMPACT: THE ROLE OF PLASTICS IN REDUCING FOOD WASTE Summer temperatures bring pool parties and family cookouts but they also bring a higher likelihood of food spoilage. As you prepare for fun summer actives at the grocery store, you expect the food you buy to be properly preserved and safe for your family to eat. Plastics are what make this expectation a reality. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates between 30-40% of the nation’s food supply is lost to waste, representing more than 130 billion pounds. The FDA considers multiple factors that contribute to food loss, including spoilage and exposure during transportation, retail over-ordering and disposal by consumers. Protecting and preserving food products with flexible food packaging solutions that can withstand the most demanding environments – like the summer heat – is paramount. Farmers and brand owners need to protect their food through the value chain to minimize food waste. The ExxonMobil Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant (MBPP) annually produces approximately 5 billion pounds of linear low-density and high-density polyethylene used in the manufacture of plastic products. These products are shipped via rail hopper cars or packaged for overseas transport and used around the world for things like candy wrappers, shrink wrap, milk containers, plastic food bags, cereal box liners and so much more. As part of an integrated petrochemical operation, the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins Plant produces 10 billion pounds of building-block petrochemical products every year, including the ethylene that is sent to MBPP to produce polyethylene. Flexible food packaging, made possible by polyethylene, helps to protect and preserve food products from damage and to withstand demanding environments like freezers. Typical flexible food packaging applications include films to package food products like cheeses, meats, breads and vegetables. While plastics provide key sustainability benefits versus alternative materials, ExxonMobil also shares society’s concerns about plastic waste in the environment. To help address this challenge, our industry is developing and deploying technologies that give plastics a second life and help create a circular economy. ExxonMobil
ALLIANCEPORTREGION.COM
