sustainability
Packaging plastic pellets
Many plastics are delivered in pellet form and converted by customers into useful products. For specialty plastics, these pellets are packaged in bag-lined boxes and shipped by truck to the customer.
ExxonMobil Chemical re-evaluated the packaging and shipment of specialty polymers, which enabled a transition from 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) of product per box to 650 kilograms (1,430 pounds) –- a 30 percent increase. This resulted in a 23-percent reduction in packaging materials. Environmental benefits from this savings include an annual reduction of 945,000 pounds of solid waste.
The new packaging methods also increase the amount of product that can be stored in warehouses. This benefits the environment by:
- eliminating about 1,400 miles of forklift movement annually
- using less warehouse space to store the same amount of product, which also saves energy
- requiring less warehouse construction
