A state-of-the-art facility designed to recycle flexible film, a widely used material that includes pallet wrap, shrink wrap, single-use shopping bags and some food packaging, has officially opened in Rogers, Minn. Myplas USA, a South Africa–based plastics recycler, opened its mechanical recycling and pelletizing plant near Minneapolis, marking a major milestone for a collaborative effort among leading global businesses to catalyze a regional circular economy for flexible films and packaging materials in the Upper Midwest.
“This is a very exciting day for Myplas as we open our U.S. headquarters and our first U.S. recycling facility in Minnesota,” said Andrew Pieterse, Myplas USA CEO. “It’s been a remarkable journey to help bring this vision to life, and we are proud to bring our expertise to this ground-breaking initiative. The ongoing commitment of our partners has been vital to bringing us to this point. We are excited for what lies ahead.”
At full capacity, the facility will recycle nearly 90 million pounds of plastic waste per year, enough to encircle the globe in pallet wrap more than 135 times. It is expected to employ nearly 200 people.
Cross-sector support and investment
Led by the GREATER MSP Partnership’sMBOLD coalition, this groundbreaking circular economy initiative highlights how collaboration across the value chain can drive innovation, cut waste and reduce the use of virgin plastic.
The new Myplas facility was made possible by a joint $13 million equity investment by lead investors General Mills, Schwan’s Company, and Midwest-based film manufacturer Charter Next Generation, and supporting investors Target and Ecolab. The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), Closed Loop Partners and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) provided additional financial support for development of the recycling facility. DEED also provided support from the Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) for workforce training and development.
“Reducing the impact of flexible packaging and film waste requires us to think innovatively and creatively,” said Dimitrios Smyrnios, CEO of Schwan’s Company and MBOLD’s chair and executive champion for this initiative. “Schwan’s chose to invest in Myplas because we’re committed to reducing the environmental impact of our packaging, and we want to be a catalyst for other companies to do the same. It’s the right thing to do for our environment, our business and our region.”
Flexible film: The next frontier in recycling
The U.S. economy use 12 to15 billion pounds of flexible packaging and films every year for products ranging from pallet wrap to e-commerce mailers, boat wrap, food packaging, shrink wrap, lawn and garden bags, and hay bale wrap. However, only an estimated 5 percent of flexible films used in the U.S. is recycled each year, with the rest being landfilled, incinerated or released into the environment.
“Our region is leading the nation in tackling tough sustainability issues,” said JoAnne Berkenkamp, managing director of MBOLD. “Myplas now provides regionally appropriate recycling opportunities for this challenging material, and we are driving innovation to incorporate recycled resin into new film products. Collaboration across the value chain is the secret sauce.”
“The management of film and flexible plastic waste presents one of the most substantial opportunities for resource and value recovery in the plastic value chain,” said Nicholas Kolesch, vice president of projects at AEPW. “With Myplas at the center of the MBOLD partnership, we see the demonstration of effective cross-sector collaboration from the collection of commercial and retail film waste, to processing at converters and ultimately a pathway for brands to integrate Myplas recycled plastics in their products.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said, “The opening of the Myplas facility in Rogers is exciting news for the local community, region and entire state. By bringing a new industry with hundreds of new jobs to Minnesota, this investment is a testament to our state’s innovation, commitment to sustainable solutions and the strength of our business ecosystem. We welcome Myplas to Minnesota and celebrate the collaboration and partnership that made this win possible.”PW
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