Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023 - 6

newsround
In pursuit of
sustainable screw caps
SWEDISH STARTUP Blue
Ocean Closures, a company
developing proprietary fibre-based
screw caps, has
obtained a second investment
from co-owner Alpla Group.
Blue Ocean Closures was
founded a year ago with the aim
of developing environmentally
friendly closure solutions and
bringing these to market.
Glatfelter Corp., a global
manufacturer of engineered
materials, is also a founding
partner. Christian Zmölnig, director
of corporate research,
development and innovation at
ments include significant product
and material, production
and people development.
Alpla is seeking to grow its
Blue Ocean Closures'
fibre screw cap
Alpla Group, said the current,
second investment decision
was made based on the rapid
rate of progress achieved towards
the goal of developing
usable fibre solutions. Achievesustainable
operations and activities
in the field of fully biobased,
biodegradable and recyclable
caps and lids. " We now
have a product with the potential
to replace plastic closures
in several important global
product segments and markets.
The intention is to go commercial
with our fibre screw caps
in 2023, " said Blue Ocean Closures
founder and CEO Lars
Sandberg.
Vanden Recycling's Turkish venture: Impressive
growth in just three and a half years
Atakan Koçanali,
left, Derya Eksi and
Beril Yesilirmak
from Vanden
to grow rapidly, the company
reports. It is currently recruiting
for a logistics coordinator
who will support customers in
receiving their products and
build an eff ective logistics network
from Turkey to the rest of
the world. The company is also
looking to add a new sales
administrator to its team, who
will support and drive sales as
well as develop a diverse customer
base for Vanden's range
of scrap and recycled plastics.
Vanden Recycling's Turkish
WHEN VANDEN RECYCLING
opened its off ices in Istanbul
in July 2019, it was with a clear
goal: to help raise Turkey's recycling
rates and promote the
use of more recycled materials
by its domestic plastic manufacturing
market.
And despite launching operations
in a new country just
before the global pandemic
hit, Vanden has gone from
strength to strength, among
others, opening up access to
international markets for the
trading of recycled resins and
products made in Turkey.
Next to having moved into
roomier accommodations, the
company has also invested in
a full technical lab within this
6
off ice so extensive material
testing, including identification
of contaminants, can be carried
out there.
The new lab enhances the
technical capabilities available,
said Global Technical Director
Beril Yesilirmak, boasting
technology and equipment
to understand the recycled
plastic source, as well as to
analyse and determine quality
levels - a crucial element to
finding the right outlets. Tests
to determine polymer type and
combination, melt flow analysis,
density check, impurity
analysis under heat aging, ash
content and filler type analysis
can all be conducted.
The Istanbul off ice continues
January/February 2023
managing director, Derya Eksi,
said the fact that the company
is active in diverse markets operates
as a buff er and has allowed
the company to expand
and grow even throughout the
pandemic.
" We operate in a number
of markets, and because of
this, we can keep scrap materials
moving, even when one
market might close down for
a season or shipping slows
down to manage legislation
changes, " she explained.
Founded 17 years ago, Vanden
Recycling reprocesses
scrap plastics it collects from
post-industrial waste streams
into regrind and then sells that
back for manufacturing. It also
off ers secure destruction and
tolling services.
Swedish Trioworld
expands into
North America
Malpack facility
TRIOWORLD IS DEVELOPING
a taste for acquisitions.
The Smålandsstenar,
Sweden-based company
has announced that it has
entered into an agreement
to purchase both Malpack
Ltd. of Canada and Malpack
Corp. in the United States,
makers of stretch film for the
transit packaging segment.
In September, Trioworld
announced the acquisition
of Quality Films of Woverhampton,
UK, a producer
of stretch films for the food,
beverage and industrial
categories. And according
to an announcement in
March 2022, Trioworld had
concluded an agreement to
acquire stretch films maker
Eurofilms Extrusion Ltd. of
Telford, UK.
Founded in 1972 as a
plastic bag maker, Malpack
is based in Ajax, Ontario,
where it today produces
stretch films for the distribution,
beverage, food,
consumer goods, electronic
commerce and industrial
segments. The company,
with 260 workers, also has a
network of distribution centres
in North America, Trioworld
said.
Trioworld has production
locations in Sweden,
Denmark, the Netherlands,
United Kingdom and France
for customers around the
world. With about 1,550 employees,
the company has
annual sales of €850 million.
Trioworld was founded
in 1965 and has been under
the ownership of Altor Fund
IV, a private equity firm,
since 2018.
Sustainable Plastics - January/February 2023

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