Sponsored By

Ahold Delhaize USA, ExxonMobil target circular food packaging

Partnership with Sealed Air aims to recycle flexible plastic in supply chain

Russell Redman

April 14, 2022

3 Min Read
Natures_Promise_boxed_greens-Giant_Food_Stores.jpg
Through the project, flexible plastics from the food supply chain will be recycled and remade into new, certified circular food-grade packaging.Russell Redman

Ahold Delhaize USA, ExxonMobil and packaging specialist Sealed Air (SEE) have partnered on what they call a first-of-its-kind plastic food package recycling initiative in the United States.

Under the project, flexible plastics from the food supply chain will be recycled and remade into new, certified circular food-grade packaging, Charlotte, N.C.-based Sealed Air said Thursday. Plans call for the effort to start this summer and scale up over time.

“We’re proud to work with SEE and ExxonMobil on this collaboration, which has the potential to radically change the way retailers and manufacturers leverage food-grade recycled plastics as a key means of keeping plastics out of landfills,” Brittni Furrow, vice president of health and sustainability at Ahold Delhaize USA, said in a statement. “We’re eager to learn from this work and apply the learnings to advance our own plastics ambitions but also advance these efforts broadly, helping to ensure a better tomorrow for our planet.”

SEE said its collaboration with Ahold Delhaize USA and ExxonMobil will boost the use of recycled content by validating the technical and economic viability of a certified circular system that’s based on advanced recycling technology and mass balance attribution. Through the initiative, flexible plastics will be designed to be collected, recycled and repurposed into new food packaging.

Related:Southeastern Grocers own brands move away from 'eco-unfriendly' packaging

Ahold_Delhaize_USA-ExxonMobil-Sealed_Air-plastic_food_package_recycling_project.png

Strict hygiene and performance requirements for food protection and distribution have made it challenging to create a circular economy for plastics in packaging materials in the food industry.

The project will leverage ExxonMobil’s Exxtend technology for advanced recycling. Overall, Ahold Delhaize USA operates approximately 2,050 stores on the East Coast, including the supermarket chains Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Food Lion and Hannaford as well as online grocer FreshDirect.

“SEE is leading the packaging industry by showing how high-performance packaging materials can be designed to be remade. Advanced recycling is key to these valuable materials being collected and remanufactured,” according to Ted Doheny, president and CEO of Sealed Air. “Our collaboration with ExxonMobil is opening new recycling possibilities, and by partnering with leading retail group Ahold Delhaize USA, we are paving the way for our industry to protect perishable foods while creating a low-carbon, circular economy.”

For the food industry, establishing a circular economy for plastics in packaging materials has proved challenging because of strict hygiene and performance requirements for food protection and distribution, SEE noted. That mission calls for innovative recycling solutions beyond traditional mechanical recycling in order to recover essential packaging materials, the company said. However, the effort holds tremendous promise: keeping used flexible plastics out of landfills, increasing the number of times essential plastics can be recycled, and ensuring the safety and quality of packaged foods.

Related:Fred Meyer launches Loop reusable product containers at 25 stores

“We are delighted to work with SEE and Ahold Delhaize USA on this important project,” stated David Hergenrether, vice president of polyethylene at Irving, Texas-based oil and gas giant ExxonMobil. “This relationship is an example of the value chain collaborations needed to enable a more circular economy. We are excited that certified circular plastics from our Exxtend technology for advanced recycling will play an important role.”

Ahold Delhaize USA, with dual headquarters in Quincy, Mass., and Salisbury, N.C., already has been working to cut down on plastic waste from food packaging. Early last year, in announcing new health and sustainability goals, the company said it aims to reduce overall use of problematic single-use plastics by 2025, including making private-label products 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable and increasing recycled content by 25% by 2025.

Read more about:

Ahold Delhaize USA

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like