new flexible films cut waste, save energy and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions

This article originally appeared in the Lamp, 2008 — Number 2

Films made with ExxonMobil Chemical’s Enable metallocene polyethylene polymer are thin, lightweight, strong and recyclable. That makes them good for film manufacturers, good for consumers and good for the environment.

ExxonMobil Chemical Company has introduced a unique polymer that produces flexible films 20 percent lighter than conventional films. The result is less material used, and less energy consumed to manufacture and transport the polymer and finished film products. It also has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

“This is breakthrough technology,” says Jim Harris, senior vice president of ExxonMobil Chemical Company. “The new product, Enable metallocene polyethylene (mPE), is designed to help our customers meet changing market needs and create higher-valued film products. It’s far superior to conventional polyethylene polymers, as it incorporates both toughness and processing benefits in a single, unique resin. Development of Enable mPE is one more example of the benefits of our significant investment in technology. And it’s also consistent with our environmental responsibility and our support for sustainable development of natural resources.”

Using Enable mPE allows film manufacturers (also known as film converters) to reduce the thickness and weight of films, while maintaining strength. The reduced weight translates to energy savings and reduced greenhouse gases every time film products are transported. And because Enable mPE polymers can be manufactured at lower temperatures and pressures, less energy is used, creating additional savings and emission reductions.

Lower emissions, less energy, less waste

“The potential environmental benefits of Enable mPE are impressive. This new product can yield significant greenhouse-gas reductions while saving enough energy to power 900,000 homes,” says Harris. “There’s also less landfill waste. So the overall environmental contributions are noteworthy.”

Film converters typically blend different polymers in order to balance the ease of manufacturing and film strength. By using Enable mPE, converters can eliminate these blends, simplify their business and lower their extrusion costs.

“That’s the key to making films thinner and lighter while also saving energy,” explains Dave McConville, ExxonMobil Chemical Company’s polyethylene global market development manager. “A thinner film that maintains strength reduces the converters’ and end-users’ costs. That advantage is what’s pulling Enable mPE into the marketplace so quickly.

“For example, beverage bottlers see great benefits in reducing packaging weight. A bottler using millions of pounds of shrink wrap film annually to package beverages can achieve large savings by using lighter films; less packaging is used and the cost to transport the films is reduced. In other words, fewer natural resources are used, creating less emissions, while still maintaining performance.”

Big potential for greenhouses

In addition to packaging applications such as shrink wrap, pallet wrap, stretch hand wrap and heavy-duty bags, another major market for Enable mPE is the agricultural greenhouse industry. Greenhouses used to grow crops are prevalent in Asia and are also found in the Americas and Europe, particularly in cooler climates and higher altitudes where growing seasons are short.

A typical commercial agricultural greenhouse in China is about 50 feet wide and 150 feet long. Large sheets of polyethylene film are draped over a metal structure and the film is strapped down. Because the film spans such a large area, it is substantially thicker than most packaging films. 

“The converters who make greenhouse films are excited about Enable mPE because a thinner film can yield a tremendous savings for them and their customers, the farmers,” says John Verity, ExxonMobil Chemical Company vice president for polyethylene business. “If the entire agricultural greenhouse industry used Enable mPE film products, the converters could produce 200,000 fewer tons of film annually and still meet demand and performance requirements. Also, Enable mPE-based films transmit more light than conventional films, so temperatures inside greenhouses rise faster. That’s one more advantage that Enable mPE brings to the market.”

Showcased in China

Enable mPE was introduced last March and showcased in April at Chinaplas 2008 in Shanghai, China. The event drew more than 72,000 visitors from throughout the world who gathered to learn about innovative products and technologies.

“Some ExxonMobil Chemical customers displayed their Enable mPE-based films at Chinaplas, and the market reaction was quite positive,” says Dave McConville. “The new films were highlighted as innovative step-out products, which is precisely what they are. Film converters learned that with Enable mPE they can produce more film from existing facilities, reduce waste and cut operating costs all at once. And their customers benefit from the packaging’s reduced weight. This product really takes flexible film production to a new level of performance.”

Enable mPE is being manufactured at ExxonMobil Chemical’s Mont Belvieu, Texas, plant. When expansion of ExxonMobil’s Singapore refinery and chemical complex is complete in 2011, Enable mPE will be produced there along with Exceed mPE. Together they provide a portfolio of metallocene products that deliver sustainable benefits and cost reduction to the flexible film industry.