Alpla acquires a significant minority stake in the Slovakian bioplastics manufacturer Panara, thereby strengthening its activities in the field of alternative, sustainable raw materials for packaging.
A holistic approach is being pursued to develop all product areas and future packaging solutions with a view to a functioning circular economy. This is also reflected in the choice of materials on bio-based and biodegradable packaging out. Against this backdrop, the international packaging specialist is investing Alpla Group in Panara and acquires a significant minority stake in the Slovakian company, which specialises in the development of fully bio-based and biodegradable plastics.
„Panara has a lot of experience in the field of bio-based plastics. By joining the company, we want to utilise this knowledge to facilitate the transfer of expertise for our applications and customers.“ Günther Lehner, Alpla Chairman and responsible for sustainability, circular economy, technology development and innovation
Panara develops bio-based and compostable plastics
Panara has been conducting research in the field of biopolymers since 2006. This includes Co-operations with the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and the Research Centre for Environmentally Compatible Polymer Materials (CEPOMA) in Nitra. The company recently launched a new brand Nonoilen has launched a bioplastic on the market that is made entirely from renewable resources, is recyclable and can be 100 per cent industrially composted at the end of its life. The material is also temperature-resistant and stable.
Christian Zmölnig, Director Corporate Research and Innovation at Alpla, sees the collaboration as a further step towards the packaging of the futureAs a technology leader in the field of packaging materials, we are continuously working with partners on the development of new raw materials to minimise CO2-emissions and resource consumption.“
Driving forward the circular economy
The acquisition of Panara is in line with Alpla's strategic focus on investing more heavily in the circular economy. The four Rs - Replace, Reduce, Reuse and Recycling - are of central importance in driving forward future-oriented activities and identifying fields of action. The research field Replace includes the research and use of alternative, bio-based and recyclable materials. Alpla is already active in this area, for example, through the company Paboco is involved in the development of paper-based bottles and has presented a home-compostable coffee capsule to the public.
Reduce deals with the continuous reduction of material consumption, Reuse with optimising the properties of plastic bottles for reusable systems and Recycle with the overarching aim of keeping as many plastics as possible in the recycling loop.
[infotext icon]Alpla produces customised packaging systems, bottles, closures and injection-moulded parts with around 21,600 employees at 178 locations in 45 countries worldwide. The areas of application are diverse: food and beverages, cosmetics and care products, household cleaners, detergents and cleaning agents, pharmaceuticals, motor oil and lubricants. The company also operates its own recycling plants for PET and HDPE in Austria, Poland and Spain and in the form of joint ventures in Mexico and Germany. Further projects are currently being realised internationally.The company Panara a.s. was founded in 2001 as a production and trading company for PE plastic films. In 2006, the company specialised in the field of bioplastics with the aim of developing biodegradable, bio-based blends for various types of plastics processing. The company's core business is currently R&D activities in the field of biobased and biodegradable multi-component blends based on PHA and PLA polymers and their production[/infotext].
Source: Alpla
