Plastilene announced plans to establish a research and development center in Washington Court House to focus on the development of recyclable food packaging that will help food producers reduce their carbon footprint and environmental impact.

“Plastilene’s business culture and philosophy is you invest for the long-term and seek to bring innovative solutions to your customers,” says Guillermo Umana, Plastilene’s general manager. “We’re excited to work with leaders in our industry to help Ohio’s food producers deliver fresh products in a sustainable way.”

The Plastilene Group is a global leader in the development and production of high-quality, responsible packaging for a variety of foods, beverages, pharmaceutical products, medical devices, home and personal care products and more. Plastilene has existing operations in Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala. Plastilene has four specialty focus areas in Packaging and Technical film, Industrial Products, Film for Agro-Industry and Film Products with Recycled Materials. 

The Sustainable Food Packaging Innovation Center will be located at the Rocktenn building,1010 Mead Street, and will be the company’s first U.S. operation. The $47-million facility will create 58 new jobs and $3.8 million in new payroll. 

Plastilene’s facility will conduct research as well as produce food packaging. Food and agribusiness is the largest industry in Ohio, and the state is home to hundreds of companies that cultivate, process, package, distribute and market food and drinks enjoyed by consumers around the world. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Plastilene to the Dayton Region and help them further develop their North American market,” says Julie Sullivan, the Dayton Development Coalition’s executive vice president for Regional Development. “Their new facility will leverage so many of our strengths, bringing together skilled manufacturing and R&D, to tackle important issues in a meaningful way.”

The Sustainable Food Packaging Innovation Center will focus on the development and high-volume commercialization of game-changing recyclable food packaging. The research will seek to increase circularity, capture after-use material value, reduce leakage into natural streams, reduce fossil feedstock usage and enhance sustainable economics, carbon footprint reduction and performance targets for multiple Ohio & National food industry companies.

“Plastilene’s R&D Center in Washington Court House will establish its first U.S. operations, combining Ohio’s leading role in advancing plastics technology with a global leader in sustainable packaging,” says JobsOhio president and CEO, J.P. Nauseef. “With Ohio’s talent and collaborative innovation, Plastilene will continue to develop disruptive, sustainable packaging technology for foods, pharmaceuticals and other product sectors that positively impact our lives every day.”