Direct Pack Inc. (DPI), a sustainable thermoformed packaging company headquartered in Azusa, California, plans to expand its global operations with the acquisition of Guadalajara, Mexico-based Atmosphera Verde, a recycler of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The Mexican recycler operates a facility that is capable of recycling 20,000 tons of PET per year, including postconsumer PET thermoforms.

According to DPI, the acquired facility enables it to advance its commitment to sustainability. “By working with its corporate and waste management partners to reclaim more of its own used packaging, DPI now has the in-house ability to reprocess it, and for it to become new thermoformed packaging again,” DPI reports in a news release on the acquisition.

The acquired facility will be renamed Direct Pack Recycling. Direct Pack Recycling also will aid in creating the material needed to manufacture the company’s Bottlebox line of containers, which are made of postconsumer PET bottles and thermoformed packages.

“Everything we do at Direct Pack is fueled by a deep commitment to sustainability and innovation with an ultimate goal of making PET plastic an infinite resource,” says Craig Snedden, president of Direct Pack Inc. “Expanding our operations to include recycling is a natural fit and will allow us to be even more nimble in delivering affordable, custom packaging solutions while also reducing waste and improving our overall impact on the environment.”

Sunnking Inc., a Brockport, New York-based information technology asset disposition (ITAD) and electronics recycling company, has made a multiyear commitment to open a satellite facility to serve customers in the Central New York and Capital regions. The facility will open March 2, according to a company news release.

This expansion comes during the company’s 20th anniversary and is expected to create up to 15 new jobs within its first year of operation.

“A big focus for us will be helping local businesses in the area,” says Adam Shine, vice president of Sunnking. “We want to make it easy for them to responsibly handle and dispose of all of their electronics.”

The new demanufacturing facility will provide a resource for local businesses, handling their end-of-life technology, including secure data destruction. This addition also will allow Sunnking to extend product life cycles by identifying opportunities for refurbishment and resale.

“We’re excited to travel into the underserviced central and eastern markets and believe this gives us the ability to expand throughout the state even more,” Shine says. “This evolution allows the ability to efficiently duplicate many of our current processes, create meaningful jobs and serve more customers under the New York State e-waste law.”

The plant buildout also will create space for Sunnking to add a second location for its retail brand, eCaboose, which sells refurbished electronics and offers computer support to the community.

Founded in 2000, Sunnking Inc. is New York’s first R2-RIOS (Responsible Recycling-Recycling Industry Operating Standard) certified electronics recycling, data destruction and ITAD management company dealing in end-of-life electronic management. With facilities in Buffalo, Brockport and Syracuse, New York, Sunnking specializes in collecting, refurbishing, reselling and recycling electronic products from residential, commercial and municipal customers.

International Paper, a producer of fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper based in Memphis, Tennessee, has appointed its first-ever chief sustainability officer. Sophie Beckham will lead the company’s recently announced Vision 2030, a sustainability goal the company set this year to “advance its contributions to the circular, low-carbon economy while building on its commitments to its people and communities.”

“Customers, investors and employees depend on us to be leaders in environmental stewardship and to strengthen our people and communities; appointing a chief sustainability officer is the next step in our continuing progress,” says Mark Sutton, chairman and chief executive officer. “Sophie is uniquely qualified to lead the pursuit of our Vision 2030 goals and drive sustainability efforts that create value for all of our stakeholders.”

Beckham first joined International Paper in 2013 to manage the company’s forest stewardship and sustainability efforts. In her new position, Beckham will lead the development and execution of the company’s sustainability strategy, including efforts to integrate the Vision 2030 goals across the company’s global business, International Paper reports in a news release on her promotion. 

According to a news release from International Paper on its Vision 2030 goals, the company has committed to achieve the following goals by 2030:

• Healthy and abundant forests: Lead forest stewardship efforts globally.

• Thriving people and communities: Promote employee well-being by providing safe, caring and inclusive workplaces.

• Sustainable operations: Improve the company’s impact on climate and advance water stewardship.

• Renewable solutions: Accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy through innovative fiber-based products.

The company reports that each of these four goals includes one to three specific, measurable targets for the company to track its progress throughout the decade. The targets include commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent from 2017 levels, to reduce water usage by 25 percent and to create innovative products that are 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable. 

“For more than 120 years, forest stewardship has been at the core of how we have operated our company,” Beckham says. “Today, we recognize the broader role we can play in advancing sustainable outcomes—both environmental and social. This is an important time for International Paper, and I’m extremely excited to amplify our ambition to be among the most successful, sustainable and responsible companies in the world.

“Our Vision 2030 goals are designed to benefit our employees and communities,” she continues. “Collaboration throughout our entire value chain—from customers and suppliers to nongovernmental organizations—will be crucial to achieving these ambitious goals.”

Sims Recycling Solutions (SRS), an information technology asset disposal (ITAD) and data center recycling company based in West Chicago, Illinois, has announced its new name, Sims Lifecycle Services brand. As the company continues to grow its IT asset and data center infrastructure reuse, redeployment and recycling services, it is time to update the brand as well, the company says in a news release.

“The new brand name more accurately represents the wide array of services we offer, including redeploying and reusing IT assets and their components, to the final recycling of the materials,” says Ingrid Sinclair, global president at Sims Lifecycle Services.

“Over the past few years, we have seen exponential growth in the amount of material we manage from data centers,” adds Sean Magann, global vice president of sales and marketing at Sims Lifecycle Services. “Our new brand name is a better reflection of the success we have had, and will continue to have, with data center and enterprise assets.”

Sims Lifecycle Services says it will continue to deliver the same sustainability and value recovery for traditional IT assets as well as meeting the growing needs of data center clients. The transition will be gradual and will take place over the course of the coming months.