Durst Group Acquires MPS Printing BY GREG KISHBAUGH
CPG Companies Form Consortium
Six global consumer goods companies have joined forces to accelerate the development of responsibly designed paper-based alterna- tives to flexible plastic packaging. The Paper- Flex Consortium includes Colgate-Palmolive,
Durst Group plans to acquire MPS Printing, the Netherlands-based manufacturer of flexographic printing presses for the label and flexible packaging markets. Effective January 1, 2027, MPS will become part of Durst through the acquisition of its holding company and operate as MPS – A Durst Group Company. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble and Unilever as founding members and is open for others to join. The consortium, which is convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and managed by (RE)SET, will focus on markets where flexible plastic packaging is widely used and where a lack of collection and recycling systems could increase their likelihood of ending up in the environment. For those markets, the consor- tium aims to design alternatives that will be recyclable as collection systems improve and biodegradable in the event they unintention- ally end up in the environment. Flexible plastic packaging, including sa- chets, wrappers and pouches, is the fast- est-growing type of plastic packaging world- wide, and scaled solutions to recycle the material currently are not widely available. Over the next few years, the consortium, through its members, intends to shape, fund and conduct collaborative trials covering in- novations in areas such as biodegradable coatings and other technologies that deliver
The acquisition expands Durst’s presence in labels and flexible packaging, adding MPS’ flexographic technology and engineering ex- pertise to a portfolio that already encompasses digital printing, soft- ware and automation, as well as hybrid production through Durst’s partnership with Omet. “Label production is becoming increasingly connected, automated and data-driven,” said Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of Durst Group. “Durst already has strong capabilities in digital printing, soft- ware and hybrid production. With MPS, we are adding further flexog-
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