Berry Plastics to expand its capacity for sustainable, breathable films in North America

Rigid and flexible packaging supplier Berry Plastics Inc. has announced a US$20 million expansion of its hygiene, healthcare, and specialty films platform in North America.

In a statement, the Evansville, Ind.-based company said its investment addresses both extrusion and printing capabilities, in support of growing breathable film and sustainable product market demands in the North American region.

The investment will include added capacity for Berry’s proprietary Sof-Flex technology and the addition of the newest flexographic printing equipment. “The Sof-Flex technology allows for the sustainable, down-weighting of breathable films while maintaining best-in-class performance,” the statement said.

And as part of its “Impact 2025” sustainability strategy, which Berry announced last year, the company will focus on three key sustainable product improvement areas in hygiene: lightweighting, sustainable materials, and designing products that are easily recyclable, reusable, or compostable.

“We are excited to expand the capacity of sustainable products in the North American market. As a longstanding industry partner, we look forward to continued innovation alongside our customers,” said Robert Weilminster, EVP and GM, for Berry’s hygiene markets in the U.S. and Canada.

The expansion will be operational in 2020 across Berry’s U.S. network breathable film producing plants and represents the first of a three phase Sof-Flex film expansion plan to be completed by 2022.