Plastilene opens first US facility in WCH

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WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE — Plastilene opened its first U.S. facility Wednesday at the Rocktenn building with a grand ribbon cutting ceremony.

New research and development will be brought into Washington Court House along with new job opportunities for locals. The Sustainable Food Packaging Innovation Center focuses on the development of recyclable food packaging that will help food producers reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact, according to a news release.

“Plastilene began looking at the North American market 15 years ago. We had a clear vision, and took the time to find the right location,” said Plastilene Group President Stefano Pacini. “In Washington Court House, we’ve found a welcoming community and supportive partnerships that allow us to work with leaders in our industry to help Ohio’s food producers deliver fresh products in a sustainable way.”

The Plastilene Group is a global leader in the development and production of high-quality, responsible packaging for a variety of foods, beverages, pharmaceutical products, medical devices, home and personal care products and more. Plastilene has existing operations in Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala. Plastilene has four specialty focus areas in packaging and technical film, industrial products, film for agro-industry, and film products with recycled materials.

The $47-million facility at the Rocktenn Building, 1010 Mead St., will create 58 new jobs and $3.8 million in new, local payroll.

“Ohio is a leader in research and development across industries, and Plastilene’s new Innovation Center is a great example of a company invested in creating solutions while contributing to the state’s food and agribusiness industry,” said Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who was in attendance at Wednesday’s grand opening. “Companies continue to move their operations to Ohio because they know it is the best place in the Midwest to grow and thrive. This new facility came to Fayette County through great collaboration between JobsOhio, the Dayton Development Coalition and CIFT, and we look forward to seeing how it advances this technology with talent from Ohio.”

Plastilene’s facility will conduct research as well as produce food packaging. Food and agribusiness is the largest industry in Ohio, and the state is home to hundreds of companies that cultivate, process, package, distribute and market food and drinks enjoyed by consumers around the world, according to a news release. Plastilene’s extensive sustainability efforts in Latin American align with the company’s aggressive goals to move toward a circular economy, eliminating packing waste. The U.S. facility will expand those efforts to North America.

The Sustainable Food Packaging Innovation Center will focus on the development and high-volume commercialization of game-changing recyclable food packaging, officials said.

The research will seek to increase circularity, capture after-use material value, reduce leakage into natural streams, reduce fossil feedstock usage, and enhance sustainable economics, carbon footprint reduction and performance targets for multiple Ohio and national food industry companies.

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