The multimillion-dollar investment will help the firm to expand its sustainable innovation offerings in healthcare and food packaging markets in North America
The investment will help the company to grow its sustainable innovation product portfolio. (Credit: Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay)
Plastic packaging products maker Klöckner Pentaplast (kp) announced its decision to add post-consumer recycled content (PCR) PET capacity to its production facility in Beaver, West Virginia.
The multimillion-dollar investment will help the firm to expand its sustainable innovation offerings in healthcare and food packaging markets in North America.
Through the addition of an extrusion line and two thermoformers, the company will be able to deliver 15,000 metric tonnes of new rPET/PET capacity.
Klöckner Pentaplast chief executive officer Scott Tracey said: “The expansion responds to continued demand for sustainable options from our food packaging, pharmaceutical, consumer and label film customers.
“The extrusion line will support the production of important sustainable product lines such as kpNext recyclable pharmaceutical blister films, and Smartcycle recyclable label and consumer packaging films.
“The thermoformers will produce award-winning kp Elite mono-material protein trays which are made using up to 100% recycled PET and are easily recycled creating a circular economy.”
The company’s move is part of its ongoing growth plan in North America.
The installation will create 60 new jobs at the West Virginia site, with the commercialisation of the first thermoform line set to commence by the end of this year and extrusion expansion is scheduled to be finished in mid-2023.
The second thermoform line and new production hall that are capable of future capacity expansions are expected to be completed by the end of Q4 2023.
Klöckner Pentaplast announced plans to expand its PCR PET capacity in North America in January this year.