Established in 1998 with a single location in Clyde, Ohio, Evergreen is a recycling company and one of North America’s largest producers of food grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).
Now, Evergreen has the capacity to process 217 million pounds (108,500 tons) of post-consumer food-grade rPET per year across its four facilities located in the US and Canada. Evergreen supplies global brands with their recycled resins, that use these for products like beverage bottles, food containers, health and beauty packaging, home products, rPET fiber, and strapping. Evergreen has observed a growing consumer demand for rPET in various products, which has therefore led the rPET producer to make major investments to expand its Clyde, Ohio plant. ”We hold the key to meeting those demands by being one of the largest preprocessors in North America and soon the globe.”
Evergreen operates two SSP reactors and two Starlinger bottle-bottle recycling lines
Doubling rPET manufacturing capacity
Evergreen completed the expansion of its building in Clyde, Ohio in summer 2022. The expansion was the first step of significant growth for Evergreen. The company doubled its rPET pellet manufacturing capacity at the Ohio facility and now has a local capacity of 113 million pounds (56,500 tons) of food grade PET per year.
“Our goal is to continue to grow to become a global leader in PET recycling. The expansion in Clyde started with the installation of two solid state polycondensation reactors by viscotec and a Starlinger bottle-to-bottle recycling line. That quickly grew to include a second Starlinger bottle-to-bottle line.” says Omar Abuaita, CEO of Evergreen, about the scope of the extension in phase 1. Phase 2 is already being planned, according to Abuaita. “The demand for rPET is very strong in the Midwest and the Clyde facility will continue to grow to meet our customers’ needs.”
Sustainable technological lead
Regarding Evergreen’s decision for Starlinger as their technology provider, Greg Johnson, COO of Evergreen, states that “Starlinger systems had the capability and flexibility to meet all of our customers’ needs. Starlinger has been an industry leader for many years and has the knowledge, experience, and support required in North America to help us be successful.” The two Solid State Polycondensation reactors installed after an existing pelletizing line give Evergreen full flexibility to produce food grade rPET compliant to FDA regulations, and with the specifications required by the customer.
Sustainability has been inherent to all of Evergreen‘s business activities from the beginning. It is their mission to make a significant contribution to the circular economy through their products and solutions. The company’s focus is on bottle-to-bottle recycling; however, they also expect growth in other areas in the next few years, says Johnson. “We want all of our resin to be used as part of a circular economy. Our growth is going to continue to be the bottle industry, but we are working on some new applications for rPET.”
Starlinger has been an industry leader for many years and has the knowledge, experience, and support required in North America to help us be successful.
GREG JOHNSON
COO
EVERGREEN
We hold the key to meeting growing consumer demand for rPET by being one of the largest preprocessors in North America.
OMAR ABUAITA
CEO
EVERGREEN
