The company, with additional facilities in Riverside, CA and Reading, PA, collectively processes a total of over 7 billion bottles annually, producing recycled PET that is made into new bottles in a closed-loop, bottle-to-bottle system.
New equipment in the 220,000 square-foot, $62 million Dallas plant, opened in 2017, includes an additional extrusion line, a critical step in the recycling process, that has enabled CarbonLITE to increase the plant’s capacity by 20 percent. The company’s customers include Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters North America and PepsiCo.
“We are gratified to be able to provide more raw material to help our customers meet their ambitious goals to increase the amount of recycled plastic they use in their beverage containers and to meet their sustainability targets,” said CarbonLITE CEO Leon Farahnik.
By enabling customers to avoid the use of virgin plastic produced from petroleum, each of CarbonLITE’s facilities prevents the release of over 60,000 tons of carbon emissions annually. Additionally, the Dallas plant is powered with renewable energy generated by wind turbines. CarbonLITE also provides recycled PET produced from ocean-bound plastic waste for the new ZenWTR water bottles, thereby helping to keep the marine environment free of plastic pollution. Additionally, its PinnPACK Packaging company specializes in food packaging made from recycled plastic, as well.
“CarbonLITE is committed to environmental stewardship,” Farahnik said. “Recycling is an essential tool in reducing greenhouse gasses and environmental waste. By turning used PET bottles into new PET bottles and products, we are able to conserves virgin resources, reduce landfill, help keep our oceans clean, and capitalize on the energy already invested in making existing plastic products.”
