Borealis to acquire Ecoplast

The Vienna-based Borealis Group has signed an agreement to acquire Ecoplast Kunststoffrecycling GmbH, an Austrian plastics recycler. The purchase by the polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers firm is subject to regulatory approvals.

Based in Wildon, Austria, Ecoplast processes around 35,000 metric tons per year of plastic scrap generated by households and industrial consumers, turning it into LDPE and HDPE recycled-content materials, used mainly by the plastic films market.

“It is a logical next step for us to expand our mechanical recycling capabilities, which are key to our sustainability and circular economy efforts,” says Alfred Stern, CEO of Borealis. “Borealis wants to be a provider for circular economy plastic solutions, and we see Ecoplast as an important complement to [existing Borealis subsidiary] MTM Plastics in Germany.”

Continues Stern, “MTM’s focus is on rigid, injection molding solutions. Ecoplast’s core competence is recycling flexibles from highly contaminated household and commercial waste into a product that is suitable for thin film production.”