ZOTEFOAMS
Purchase of Denmark's Refour / Focus on foamed mono-material packaging
 Group CEO of Zotefoams, David Stirling (Photo: Zotefoams) |
UK polyolefin foam specialist Zotefoams (Croydon; www.zotefoams.com) has announced its acquisition of the assets and intellectual property of Refour (Skanderborg, Denmark; www.refour.eu) for “a modest cash consideration”. Torben Andersen, founder and CEO of Refour, is to join the Zotefoams team.
Zotefoams, through its US-based MuCell Extrusion (MEL) subsidiary – the company’s licensing arm – is in the process of developing fully recyclable mono-materials based on proprietary foaming technology. The initial focus has been on the development of ReZorce, a single-resin alternative to the liquid packaging board (LPB) beverage carton, of which an estimated 250 bn are used annually.
Founded in 2016, Refour has developed an exclusive mono-material called RE-4, which consists of air, minerals (talc and lime), and polypropylene. “The resources form a mono-material that both reduces the use of industrial raw materials, while maintaining full recyclability and essential physical and mechanical properties,” Refour says.
Related: Zotefoams to open new manufacturing plant in Poland
Zotefoams said commercial-scale trials of its ReZorce cartons are planned shortly, while trials for other packaging formats, such as pouches, are expected to follow. “Combining the companies’ portfolios will offer a wide choice of recyclable packaging using foaming technology to reduce costs and material content in HDPE, PP and PET – the main polymers used in food and beverage packaging,” the new parent added.
Last year, the company had invested around USD 1 mn in a ReZorce pilot plant in the US, a technical centre in Leominster, Massachusetts, that employs approximately 20 and offers brand owners and retailers the opportunity to carry out filling and packaging trials (see Plasteurope.com of 08.11.2021).
“Brand owners and packaging suppliers urgently need solutions that reduce waste and increase recycling in packaging,” said David Stirling, group CEO of Zotefoams. “Zotefoams and Refour have been following parallel paths in the development of mono-material barrier packaging but with a similar ethos.”
Zotefoams, through its US-based MuCell Extrusion (MEL) subsidiary – the company’s licensing arm – is in the process of developing fully recyclable mono-materials based on proprietary foaming technology. The initial focus has been on the development of ReZorce, a single-resin alternative to the liquid packaging board (LPB) beverage carton, of which an estimated 250 bn are used annually.
Founded in 2016, Refour has developed an exclusive mono-material called RE-4, which consists of air, minerals (talc and lime), and polypropylene. “The resources form a mono-material that both reduces the use of industrial raw materials, while maintaining full recyclability and essential physical and mechanical properties,” Refour says.
Related: Zotefoams to open new manufacturing plant in Poland
Zotefoams said commercial-scale trials of its ReZorce cartons are planned shortly, while trials for other packaging formats, such as pouches, are expected to follow. “Combining the companies’ portfolios will offer a wide choice of recyclable packaging using foaming technology to reduce costs and material content in HDPE, PP and PET – the main polymers used in food and beverage packaging,” the new parent added.
Last year, the company had invested around USD 1 mn in a ReZorce pilot plant in the US, a technical centre in Leominster, Massachusetts, that employs approximately 20 and offers brand owners and retailers the opportunity to carry out filling and packaging trials (see Plasteurope.com of 08.11.2021).
“Brand owners and packaging suppliers urgently need solutions that reduce waste and increase recycling in packaging,” said David Stirling, group CEO of Zotefoams. “Zotefoams and Refour have been following parallel paths in the development of mono-material barrier packaging but with a similar ethos.”
17.11.2022 Plasteurope.com [251582-0]
Published on 17.11.2022
German version of this article...