Repeats Group Becomes the Largest independent pure player LDPE Plastic Recycling Platform in Europe
Investment in RG Group adds a Fourth Operating Facility to Repeats Footprint, Bringing Annual LDPE Production Capacity across the Platform to more than 70,000 tons
Establishes Repeats as a Leading Pan-European Plastics Recycler with Significant Growth Potential
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 17 October 2022 - Repeats Group B.V. (“Repeats”), a pan-European plastics recycling platform focused on the production of high-quality recycled low-density polyethylene (“LDPE”) from post-industrial and commercial films, announced today that it has made an investment in RG Group (“RG Group” or “RG”), a producer of recycled LDPE located in South-Eastern France, near Lyon.
The acquisition of the company involves an amount of 45 million euros. This also includes the investment of Repeats to make the company more sustainable and to automate it with the latest technology. Repeats is a portfolio company of Ara Partners (“Ara”), a global private equity firm focused on industrial decarbonization.
The transaction is Repeats’ fourth investment in European plastics recycling, and the addition of RG’s operating facility in France – alongside its existing facilities in Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy – brings Repeats’ annual production capacity to more than 70,000 tons of recycled LDPE. This significant milestone is an important step towards Repeats’ objective of becoming a leading pan-European plastics recycling platform. Repeats plans to more than double its production capacity over the next several years and offer high-quality, consistent product using the latest technology, thereby contributing to Europe’s emergent circular economy and furthering decarbonization objectives.
RG Group uses a mechanical process to convert plastic waste from industrial sources into resin suitable for commercial and industrial applications. Under Repeats’ leadership, RG Group plans to expand its production to meet the growing demand for recycled LDPE in Europe. RG Group is led by Eric Preynat, who has been with the company since 2018. Mr. Preynat will continue to lead the French operations and its growth plan.
“The need for an effective, circular solution to the growing plastic waste problem is tremendous, and European governments, businesses and consumers are aligned in working towards higher utilization of recycled plastic,” said Greg Rung, Repeats’ CEO. “We seek to partner with leading CPG (consumer packaged goods), petrochemical and plastic packaging manufacturing companies to create a high-quality supply source that is widely available throughout Europe. We are proud to partner with Ara, which shares this ambition and has expertise and resources to help achieve our objectives.”
”We are excited to partner with Repeats and Ara to continue to expand our business and geographic reach” said Eric Preynat, CEO of RG Group. “We share Repeats’ ambition to become one of the major LDPE recycling players in Europe. All our efforts are aimed at creating a circular ecosystem and best serving the manufacturers who increasingly require high quality recycled plastics.”
”Repeats’ addition of RG and its footprint across Europe position the company to continue executing its plans for rapid growth, both in scale and geographically,” said Tuan Tran, Partner at Ara Partners. “We are impressed with the business that Eric Preynat, Henri Grange, Jacques Mourier, Mathias Guerin and the entire RG team have built and are excited about the contributions they will make to our continued efforts to decarbonize the European plastics market.”
Founded in 2018 and based in the Plateau of Sainte-Sigolène, France, following the union of RG 43 and J Recycling, which benefits from twenty years of experience in the sector, RG Group produces recycled LDPE pellets from both post-commercial and post-industrial plastic waste, which can be used in packaging applications. The former owner, Oasys Group, has developed the company and added washing activities. For more information about RG Group, please visit www.rg-group.org .
Ara Partners is a private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments. Ara Partners invests in the industrial & manufacturing, chemicals & materials, energy efficiency & green fuels and food & agriculture sectors, seeking to build businesses that provide significant decarbonization impact. It operates from offices in Boston, Massachusetts, Houston, Texas and Dublin, Ireland. Ara Partners closed its second fund with approximately $1.1 billion in capital commitments in September 2021. For more information on Ara Partners, please visit www.arapartners.com .
