ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy companies, uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy needs. The company recently launched its new ExxonMobil Signature Polymers portfolio brand, which focuses on delivering best-in-class service and partnerships within the polymers industry. ExxonMobil Signature Polymers unifies ExxonMobil’s polyolefin products under a single brand, simplifying portfolio navigation and promoting enhanced collaboration across the value chain.
While packaging bread may seem simple, meeting performance expectations requires smart material design. Bags must deliver strong tear resistance, clear optics for shelf appeal, and support downgauging for improved efficiency and cost benefits. Traditional coextruded PP/PE films offer these properties but, at 30–38 microns and made from multiple materials, pose challenges for recyclability.
To address this, ExxonMobil Signature Polymers partnered with Hosokawa Alpine and BW Converting to create a thinner, mono-material polyethylene (PE) solution using Machine Direction Orientation (MDO) technology. Together, they produced 25-micron MDO PE films that match the stiffness, tear resistance, and optical quality of traditional PP/PE structures and remain compatible with existing bread bag lines.Â
Key resins used in the MDO PE films included:
*Exceed HD 6107 – optimized for flawless MDO processing
*Exceed Stiff+ m 0238 – contributed to stiffness and mechanical performance
*Exceed Stiff+ m 0820 – enhanced overall processability and durability
The collaboration spanned the full value chain, with BW Converting converting the films into gusseted bread bags on Hudson-Sharp Apollo wicketed bag machines — achieving the thinnest film yet run on these lines — while HOBA confirmed compatibility across both manual and automated closing systems.
Key results
Production of ultra-thin 25-micron bread bags, the thinnest ever run on BW Converting’s lines.
Trouble-free bag making on dual-use lines for PE and PP structures, allowing easy and cost-effective switching.
Excellent critical transverse-direction tear resistance, crucial for crusty bread types.
PP-level optical properties with low film haze (6–7.5).
Anticipated high performance under freezer conditions.
These MDO PE bread bags, designed for recyclability, provide a mono-material alternative to traditional PP/PE structures without compromising performance, demonstrating the value of cross-industry collaboration and innovative polymer solutions.
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An English-language food and beverage processing and packaging industry B2B platform in print and web, IndiFoodBev is in its third year of publication. It is said that the Indian food and beverage industries represent approximately US$ 900 billion in revenues which implies more than 20% of the country’s GDP. Eliminating the wastage on the farmside can help to deliver more protein to a higher number of the population apart from generating sizable exports. The savings in soil, seeds, water, fertilizer, energy and ultimately food and nutrition could be the most immense contribution that country is poised to make to the moderation of climate change.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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