Exxtend™ technology for advanced recycling

In short, it is an accounting process that can be used in complex value chains like ours in which one input (e.g., plastic waste) is mixed with other inputs in a multi-output system. This approach helps our customers match the volume of their certified-circular polymers* purchase to a corresponding amount of plastic waste that was transformed into usable raw materials though advanced recycling. The certificate we provide our customers is not a claim that our certified-circular polymers contain any “recycled content” or GHG emissions benefits. Rather, the certificate represents an assurance that we followed a robust mass balance attribution system that is certified by a third-party on a feedstock basis.

Mass balance has been used in other industries, such as forestry and food products, for many years. A good analogy is to the accounting process used in purchasing renewable energy, like solar or wind power. Often referred to as “green power,” many residential consumers willingly pay a premium for this service from their electricity supplier. However, the useable electricity reaching their homes doesn’t flow through a separate cable from a solar farm or wind turbine. Instead, it travels through a vast network of power plants, transmission lines, and distribution centers that form the electrical grid. The electricity generated by commercial solar farms and wind turbines mixes with that from coal, natural gas, and nuclear power.