NEWS
Treplar to invest in
W Virginia Treplar, a joint venture between Klarpet of Turkey and US-based Triton International Enterprises, is to begin producing food packaging at a new plant in West Virginia. The company has
allocated US$20m in the first year, rising to a total of US$50m over three years. In this time, the workforce is expected to grow from an initial 100 to around 600 full-time employees. Production is expected to begin later this year. “This venture exempli- fies our commitment to producing sustainable, eco-friendly packaging materials and addressing critical waste challenges for the retail food indus- try,” said Murat Ogulcan, president of Treplar. Treplar says its core capability lies in food- packaging products that contain a majority of recycled materials. It is currently testing a new type of food packaging material that it says is “100% home compost- able”. �
www.treplar.com
BOPET films on the rise
Demand for bioriented PET (BOPET) film has grown by nearly 2 million tonnes over the last five years, says a new report from AMI Consulting.
Investment by existing and new players took demand beyond 7 million tonnes in 2022, according to AMI’s BOPET Films Global Market 2023. Since 2017, nearly 70% of new capacity has been in
China. Other growing regions include India and South East Asia – though much of this has focused on packaging growth. Global production now
exceeds demand and the growth in BOPET capacity threatens the short-term stability of the market, according to AMI. “BOPET film producers
are affected by declining prices for their films and
falling utilisation rates – be- cause of the continuing surge in capacity coupled with reduced demand,” it said. The situation will be
further prolonged with several film producers delaying commissioning of new BOPET lines in re- sponse to current global market conditions, says the report. �
www.amiplastics.com
Flexpack company changes hands
Custom flexpack company Soteria Flexibles has changed hands, with owner Ardian selling its stake to private equity firm The Jordan Company (TJC). Soteria was created in
2019 following Ardian’s acquisition of Colonial Bag. Since then, it made four
flexpack acquisitions – Red- iBag, Continental Products, Phoenix Plastics and Film Tech. The company provides customised film and converted film in relatively small volumes to markets including healthcare, fresh food and industrial. “We look forward to
cementing our position as a national leader in high-per- formance films and flexible package manufacturing,” said Brad Herbolsheimer, CEO of Soteria Flexibles. No additional financial
details of the transaction were disclosed. �
www.colonialbag.com
Futamura opens cellulose film line
Cellulose film producer Futamura has opened a film production line at its manu- facturing plant in Wigton, UK. The new line is expected to raise the
facility’s production capacity by around 25%, helping to minimise lead times and raise availability of the company’s compostable NatureFlex films. “The new production line will enable us
to increase capacity for our compostable films and allow us to further develop our latest innovation project,” said Adrian Cave, managing director at Futamura Cellulose Films Europe. NatureFlex films are derived from wood pulp and meet global industrial composting standards, said the company. �
www.futamuragroup.com
Lummus and RWDC sign PHA agreement
Lummus and RWDC have signed an agreement that will expand manufac- turing and licensing of polyhydroxyal- kanoate (PHA) polymers. “This agreement highlights our
strong commitment to addressing plastic waste and the carbon footprint
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associated with conventional plastics production,” said Leon de Bruyn, president and CEO of Lummus. RWDC uses plant-based oils, including post-consumer or waste cooking oils, to produce its proprietary Solon PHA, which can be recycled or
FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | October 2023
composted in home and industrial composting facilities. PHA products that find their way into the environment will biodegrade in soil, fresh water, and marine settings, say the companies. �
www.lummustechnology.com �
www.rwdc-industries.com
www.filmandsheet.com
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