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 Signature Polymers portfolio brand, which focuses on delivering best-in-class service and partnerships within the polymers industry. Signature Polymers unifies ExxonMobil’s polyolefin products under a single brand, simplifying portfolio navigation and promoting enhanced collaboration across the value chain.
To meet rising standards, Blowplast, a bottle manufacturer in Nairobi, faced challenges incorporating higher post-consumer recycled (PCR) content into blow-molded lubricant bottles. Local brand owners set a requirement of at least 25% PCR content, but the existing HDPE material made bottles too brittle, leading to breakage issues. Seeking a solution, Blowplast turned to ExxonMobil, whose HDPE (HYA 600) material was already in use but could not fully meet the new standards without modification.
“When the brand owners modified their requirements, we were eager to retain their business,” said Sanjay Brahmbhatt, Group Managing Director, Blowplast. “ExxonMobil spent time understanding our needs and supported us during trials and development of a new solution.”
ExxonMobil suggested using Enable™ 4002 performance polymer as a partial replacement for HDPE HYA 600. By incorporating Enable™ 4002, ExxonMobil and Blowplast improved bottle durability and impact resistance, enabling higher PCR content without sacrificing strength. Enable™ 4002 enhanced flexibility and stress-crack resistance, which helped maintain the structural integrity of bottles during transport and storage.
With Enable™ 4002, Blowplast more than doubled the PCR content in their lubricant bottles to reach up to 50% without encountering the brittleness of the previous solution. This design used a 3-layer blow molding application, placing PCR in the core and Enable™ 4002 in the outer layers. The lower extrusion temperature enabled by Enable™ 4002 also provided energy savings during production, adding to the solution's environmental benefits.
Testing confirmed the improved performance of the new bottles. Drop tests showed resilience to impact with no breakage, and load tests confirmed structural stability under heavy weights. The bottles also met leak and visual appearance standards, proving that the solution satisfied both quality and aesthetic requirements, even with increased PCR content.
“Even though the bottle incorporates up to 50% PCR content, it still outperformed the incumbent HDPE-based solution incorporating 10% PCR content,” continued Brahmbhatt. “This resulted in a lower failure rate thanks in part to improved impact strength and ESCR performance derived by adding Enable 4002 performance polyethylene.“
Through this collaboration with ExxonMobil, Blowplast achieved production goals and improved product performance. The new bottle design not only met stringent PCR targets but also set a benchmark for quality, showcasing the potential of Enable™ 4002 to support high-performance packaging solutions.
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