A $45 million investment in South Carolina will turn old plastic bottles into recycled-content polyester fiber and create more than 300 jobs in the process.
JN Fibers Inc. of Zhejiang, China, will establish the new business at an existing building in Richburg that will make fiber for use in the home textiles, furniture, upholstery and automotive industries, according to the South Carolina Department of Commerce.
The project will create 318 jobs, the state said.
Plans are to add on to the existing building, bringing the total square footage to 600,000. Hiring should begin during the second quarter of next year with production beginning in the third quarter.
While JN Fibers will operate the plastics recycling business, the finished products will be sold through its subsidiary Sun Fibers LLC, the state said.
Mark Bachner is senior vice president of operations for JN Fibers.
In a bit of international business development subterfuge, local officials had referred to the potential development as “Project 1233” in the lead-up to the Sept. 25 announcement by the state, according to local press reports.