US-based ExxonMobil has commissioned two peer-reviewed lifecycle assessments (LCAs) to examine the environmental impacts of polyethylene (PE) packaging alongside alternative materials such as metal, glass and paper. 

The assessments reviewed commonly used packaging formats such as produce bags, fertiliser bags and personal care bottles.  

They evaluated impacts across the full lifecycle, covering raw material production, transportation, use and end-of-life disposal. 

The results indicate that, when combined, PE packaging required four to five times less material than the alternative materials assessed.  

Across the full lifecycle, PE packaging generates around half the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the alternatives analysed. 

In addition to emissions, the studies considered fossil resource consumption and water scarcity.  

The findings suggest that PE packaging uses fewer fossil resources and reduces water scarcity in around half or more of the cases reviewed. 

ExxonMobil states that the studies represent some of the most extensive assessments of PE packaging conducted to date, covering two-thirds of PE packaging markets in the US and Europe.  

These are the first published LCAs to focus solely on PE packaging while directly comparing it with non-plastic materials such as metal, glass and paper. 

The US-focused study was published in Science of the Total Environment and carried out in collaboration with Trayak.  

The European study appeared in Cleaner Environmental Systems and was led by the University of Applied Sciences Vienna and Circular Analytics TK.  

Both projects involved collaboration with Michigan State University’s School of Packaging. 

LCAs are used by regulators, policymakers and businesses to better understand the environmental implications of different materials and to support material selection decisions.  

The company also referenced its analysis of data from Breaking the Plastic Wave: A Comprehensive Assessment of Pathways Towards Stopping Ocean Plastic Pollution, which estimates that plastic packaging can cost up to 45% less than substitute materials.