Arkema has announced that it is acquiring its longstanding partner Agiplast, a leading Italy-based producer of high performance regenerated compounds, in particular specialty polyamides and fluoropolymers.
The acquisition further cements the relationship between the two companies - a relationship that gained further momentum in 2019 with the establishment of the Virtucycle programme. That programme saw the companies collaborating to create a dedicated supply chain from ‘source to target’ through the development of open and closed loops based on post-consumer and post-industrial for the collection and regeneration of high-performance polymers.
The projected acquisition will enable Arkema to address the growing market for circular materials with a broader offering of more sustainable products.
Arkema currently offers a range of bio-sourced thermoplastic elastomers and polyamide material grades. It has also worked to address the challenges of resource scarcity and end-of-life products through the development of recyclable thermoplastic composite products. Agiplast’s know-how in mechanical recycling technologies will now allow Arkema to include high-quality recycled polymers in its portfolio.
The acquisition of Agiplast is in line with Arkema’s CSR and sustainable growth strategy, and in particular, the transition to a circular economy, said the company, which claims it will now become the first fully integrated high-performance polymer manufacturer offering both bio-based and recycled materials.
Agiplast has annual sales of around €15 million, operates a plant in Italy and has 32 employees. The deal is expected to close in June 2021.