Global packaging firm Amcor recently announced it is installing new equipment at a Kentucky facility that allows the company to produce packaging with a wider variety of post-consumer resin percentages, citing demand from the company’s spirits customers.
The equipment at the Nicholasville, Kentucky, facility “incorporates dedicated silos that feed multiple production lines to enable precise PCR blending, giving customers the ability to choose their optimal PCR percentage,” Amcor said in a June 26 release.
“The flexibility in PCR content — up to and including 100% PCR — is offered for custom and stock rigid packaging,” the company added. “The new system demonstrates Amcor’s ability to optimize manufacturing processes and enable increased use of PCR material.”
The equipment was installed specifically to meet demand for additional PCR options in the spirits market, the company noted, but it can also provide new PCR options for the healthcare, food, home and personal care packaging markets.
In its 2024 fiscal year, Amcor purchased 461 million pounds of PCR, representing 9.4% of its total resin use, according to its most recent sustainability report. The company has been significantly growing its PCR consumption, increasing mechanically recycled resin purchases by more than 110 million pounds in 2024 alone. The company reported it is on track to hit its 2025 goal of using 10% PCR.
“With minimum-recycled-content legislation enacted in several states — and more on the horizon — Amcor’s enhanced PCR capabilities can help brands to stay compliant, support recycling markets and contribute to a circular economy,” the company wrote in its recent announcement.
