Exposing Exxon: The Plastic Production Problem

ExxonMobil is one of the world's largest producers of plastic. In 2022, the company produced 9.2 million metric tons of polyethylene (PE), the most produced plastic in the world. Exxon is planning a new $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas, which will produce ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. Research suggests that about 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and that this is set to double by 2045.

ExxonMobil produced 9.2 million metric tons of polyethylene (PE) in 2022

ExxonMobil is one of the world's largest oil and gas companies, and it is also a major producer of plastic. The company has been facing increasing scrutiny over its role in plastic pollution, with California recently issuing a subpoena over the issue. Research suggests that about 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced globally every year, and this figure is expected to double by 2045.

Exxon's proposed $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas has drawn criticism from environmental advocates. The facility, dubbed the Coastal Plain Project, would use oil and natural gas to produce ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. Such factories produce plastic pellets, which are sold to manufacturers to create intermediary or final goods, such as bottles and packaging.

The plans for the new plastics plant come amid global efforts to address plastic pollution. World leaders have been negotiating a United Nations treaty to end plastic pollution, with at least 69 countries expressing their commitment to limiting plastic production.

Exxon is planning an $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas

ExxonMobil produced 9.2 million metric tons of polyethylene (PE) in 2022. Polyethylene is the most produced plastic in the world.

Exxon is planning an $8.6 billion plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas. The proposal calls for a steam cracker, a facility that uses oil and natural gas to make ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. The plant will produce and sell plastic pellets, called nurdles, to other manufacturers who will turn them into intermediary or final goods, like bottles and packaging.

Diane Wilson, who lives in nearby Seadrift, has spent years fighting to clean up pollution from another petrochemical plant and won a $50 million settlement against its owners, Formosa, in 2019. She is alarmed by the news of Exxon's proposed facility, which would discharge waste into the same waterways she has spent decades fighting to protect.

Polyethylene is the most produced plastic in the world

Exxon is planning a new $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas, which will use oil and natural gas to make ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. These factories produce plastic pellets, called nurdles, which are sold to other manufacturers who turn them into intermediary or final goods, like bottles and packaging.

Exxon's proposal calls for a steam cracker to make ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic

ExxonMobil produced 9.2 million metric tons of polyethylene (PE) in 2022. This was a slight increase compared to the production volumes in 2021. Polyethylene is the most produced plastic in the world.

Exxon is planning a new $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas. The proposal calls for a steam cracker, a facility that uses oil and natural gas to make ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. Factories like this produce and sell plastic pellets, called nurdles, to other manufacturers who turn them into intermediary or final goods, like bottles and packaging.

Besides ethylene and propylene, steam crackers produce climate pollution and hazardous chemicals like ammonia, benzene, toluene, and methanol. Research suggests that about 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and that this is set to double by 2045.

Factories like the one Exxon is planning produce plastic pellets, called nurdles

Exxon's proposal for a new $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas calls for a steam cracker, a facility that uses oil and natural gas to make ethylene and propylene, the chemical building blocks of plastic. Steam crackers also produce climate pollution and hazardous chemicals like ammonia, benzene, toluene, and methanol.

Research suggests that about 450 million metric tons of plastic are produced every year, and that this is set to double by 2045. While world leaders have spent the past two and a half years negotiating a United Nations treaty to end plastic pollution, at least 69 countries have said they want to limit how much plastic is created in the first place.

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