Klöckner Pentaplast, a producer of recycled content products and high-barrier protective packaging, has announced plans to expand its post-consumer recycled content (PCR) PET capacity in North America with investment to further grow its sustainable offering in the consumer health, pharmaceutical, and food packaging markets.
Currently, more than 20% of the company’s volumes are made from PCR material. The expansion will add an extrusion line and two thermoformers, delivering a total 15,000 metric tonnes of additional rPET/PET capacity.
Scott Tracey, CEO, said: “This investment supports our growth strategy and is a result of our strong commitment to sustainable innovation. The expansion responds to continued demand for sustainable options from our food packaging, pharmaceutical, consumer and label film customers. Working in conjunction with our customers, we will continue to develop solutions that reduce the requirement for virgin raw materials which is essential for our industry’s sustainability targets in the future.”
The extrusion line will support production of the company’s product lines such as kpNext recyclable pharmaceutical blister films, and Smartcycle recyclable label and consumer packaging films. The thermoformers, on the other hand, will produce the kp Elite® mono-material protein trays, made using up to 100% recycled PET.
The location for the expansion is currently being deliberated, but it will sit next to one of the company’s six North American plants, in a position situated to serve its customer base. It’s aimed to be fully operational in Q1 2024.
