Caprolactam supplier Fibrant is winding down its US operations. The company, which was sold off by Netherlands firm DSM, will close its production site in Augusta, Georgia, with the loss of several hundred jobs.
The company said the closure was the ‘only viable course of action’ in the face of extended unfavourable market conditions caused by poor commodity chemical prices, as well as ‘global supply and demand dynamics’.
Fibrant will continue to produce caprolactam for nylon manufacture in the Netherlands and China. The company employs around 1200 staff across the three continents.
By Phillip Broadwith
Source: Chemistry World
The US State of New York is introducing two new bills to combat over-packaging, poor recycling rates and litter issues, including an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program requiring companies such as McDonald’s and Amazon to pay for the cost of packaging disposal and recycling.
The new organization’s mission is to redesign the critical steps of the plastics sorting and recycling system for post-consumer lightweight packaging (LWP) to speed up circularity, born from a need to meet the rising market demand for high-quality recyclates for use in high-end plastic applications.
Starbucks and Hubbub have launched a £1 million (US$1.22 million) “Bring It Back Fund” to increase the uptake of reusable packaging in the F&B industry. The funding will go toward innovative ideas that make it easier for customers to use alternatives to single-use packaging by supporting pilot projects that help shift consumption habits.
