Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
February 25, 2020 09:45 AM

Thermoformer Direct Pack buys Mexican PET recycler

Don Loepp
Editor
Plastics News Editor
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Direct Pack Recycling where more than 20,000 tons of PET Plastic can be recycled annually.
    Direct Pack, Inc.
    Direct Pack Recycling where more than 20,000 tons of PET Plastic can be recycled annually.

    Direct Pack Inc., an Azusa, Calif.-based packaging thermoformer, has acquired Atmosphera Verde SA de CV, a PET recycler in Guadalajara, Mexico.

    The deal will help Direct Pack close the loop and use recycled PET thermoformed containers to make new containers, according to President Craig Snedden.

    "We want them back. That's the point. Now we're taking in PET thermoforms," Snedden said in a Feb. 19 telephone interview.

    The recycling business is being renamed Direct Pack Recycling. According to DPI, Atmosphera Verde has the capacity to recycle 40 million pounds of PET annually, including post-consumer thermoformed PET. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

    Thermoformed PET sheet can be tough to recycle because of the difficult-to-separate labels on many containers. Snedden said Atmosphera Verde had a special process that can handle bales of PET with high percentages of thermoformed packaging. Snedden credited Juan Galvan, who started Atmosphera Verde and has now joined Direct Pack Recycling.

    "It is all about the strong members of the team that make up DPI," Snedden said. "We've known Juan for a number of years, and we've been impressed with his capabilities as an efficient recycler."

    Direct Pack Inc.
    Craig Snedden visiting a materials recovery facility and inspecting bales of plastic for PET thermoformers. Photo by Direct Pack Inc.

    Snedden said DPI's customers are excited about using post-consumer PET thermoforms as a feedstock for their products.

    Snedden noted that before the National Sword program, thermoformed PET containers typically were shipped to China to be recycled. In the past year, though, most have been landfilled. Now DPI is working with materials recovery facilities to collect thermoformed containers and send them to Direct Pack Recycling.

    "Our approach to working with the material recovery facilities has been an incredible experience," Snedden said. He has personally visited MRFs and pointed out DPI containers in their bales.

    "We're able to go into their sorting lines and say, 'Those are our containers; we want them back,'" Snedden said. "MRFs don't see that a lot, presidents of plastics companies visiting and taking ownership of the products that they make. They're fired up about it."

    DPI is currently working with six MRFs, and Snedden plans to expand that network.

    DPI already has a line of containers with post-consumer content called Bottle Box. But the raw material for those containers was primarily sourced from easier-to-recycle PET bottles.

    "If you want to truly be a steward of the industry, you have to know how your product is being handled after it is used," Snedden said.

    Through his relationship with MRFs, Snedden said he's become an advocate for making all thermoformed PET packaging easier to recycle. That includes using labels and adhesives that are easy to remove in wash lines.

    DPI has three plants that extrude and thermoform sheet. The plants are located in Sun Valley, Calif.; Rockingham, N.C.; and Guadalajara. The company has about 330 employees and makes foodservice, supermarket, produce and processor containers.

    Direct Pack Recycling where more than 20,000 tons of PET Plastic can be recycled annually.

    DPI started in 2006 and is owned by PMC Global Inc., a a privately held management company founded by Phil Kamins, a longtime plastics industry veteran. PMC Global has a variety of plastics, packaging, chemical, manufacturing and finance businesses. PMC and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,500 worldwide.

    Plastics News estimates DPI's annual sales at $230 million.

    Snedden credited Kamins for being his mentor and for encouraging DPI's move into plastics recycling.

    "He's been really supporting our move into sustainable packaging and recycling," Snedden said. "The financial support of our parent company, and the mentorship of Phil Kamins, has been important to DPI's growth."

    Adding in-house recycling fits into DPI's business strategy of offering customers a full menu of services. The company has in- house design and engineering, including a customer center at its headquarters in Azusa, Calif. It also has three tooling plants, plus a close partnership with a tooling supplier in Taiwan.

    Having in-house tooling helps DPI bring new products to market quickly, as well as control cost, Snedden said.

    "The added link that makes us full circle is the DPR wash facility and our growing relationships with MRFs on a nationwide scale," Snedden said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    One killed, two injured in shooting at WeatherTech facility
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Pandemic-prompted reshoring creates growth for medical injection molders
    2
    Lego to build $1B US molding plant
    3
    Boston Group consolidating, growing in Ohio
    4
    Atkore buys HDPE pipe maker United Poly, continuing M&A push
    5
    Numbers that Matter Live - June 2022
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
        • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified