EcoCortec (Beli Manastir / Croatia; www.ecocortec.hr) has opened a new packaging materials plant in Beli Manastir. Along with new offices, the 2,000 m² facility includes an extrusion line, which can handle 6.2 m wide film, bags on roll and perforated sheets. The plant has been in part funded by the Croatian Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts within a European funding programme.

The company said the expansion was a vital part of its strategy to grow production and respond faster to market needs. A subsidiary of US firm Cortec (St. Paul, Minnesota; www.cortecvci.com), EcoCortec regards itself as one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of "Vapour phase Corrosion Inhibitor" (VpCI) films and packaging.

In January 2018, EcoCortec joined the EUR 1.95m European "Biocompack" project, which is supported by the EU cohesion policy programme "Interreg Central Europe" (www.interreg-central.eu) and funded under the European Regional Development Fund. Biocompack’s main aim is to prevent the hazardous impact of discarded plastics on the environment, as well as to promote sustainability and innovative technologies.