Arkema to Acquire Plastics Compounder Agiplast
As it sheds more commodity-oriented products in its plastics portfolio, French specialty chemicals producer Arkema has announced plans to acquire Agiplast, an Italian compounder regarded as a leader in the regeneration of high performance polymers, in particular specialty polyamides and fluoropolymers. The deal is expected to close next month.
Adding Agiplast with annual sales of around €15 million and 32 people to its group of companies, Arkema said it will be able to offer a full service platform to customers in terms of materials circularity, thereby addressing growing market expectations in this field.
The companies have previously cooperated on recycling PVDF and high-performance polyamides. In October 2019, they launched the Virtucycle program, which is aimed at developing loops for the collection and regeneration of high performance polymers while minimizing CO2 emissions. Arkema said Agiplast’s “strong know-how” in mechanical recycling technologies will enable its new parent company to offer high quality recycled polymers to its customers.
With the acquisition, the Colombes-headquartered company said it will become the first fully integrated high performance polymer manufacturer offering both bio-based and recycled materials geared to the challenges of resource scarcity and end-of-life products. This bolt-on acquisition is thus in line with its CSR and sustainable growth strategy, and in particular the transition to a circular economy, Arkema said.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
