Faerch (Holstebro / Denmark; www.faerch.com) is to become part of Danish A.P. Moller Holding (Copenhagen; www.apmoller.com), which has agreed to buy its compatriot food packaging manufacturer from funds managed by private equity group Advent International (Boston, Massachusetts / USA; www.adventinternational.com). The transaction values Faerch at roughly EUR 1.9 bn.

A.P. Moller said Faerch is the only food packaging company in the world to operate as an integrated recycler, offering its customers to recycle used packaging back into new, similar food-grade packaging products at industrial scale. Faerch’s rigid packaging products focus on the areas of ready meals, protein foods, takeaway and dairy.

Jan Nielsen, CIO at A.P. Moller, said the company “will support an acceleration of Faerch’s leadership position and increase investments in additional recycling facilities to meet the high customer demand.”

Faerch CEO Lars Gade Hansen, added that being part of the investment group with its long-term investment perspective and international network “brings about many advantages and opportunities for Faerch”. The company said under its new owners, it “will increase momentum further in leading the transition of food packaging towards circularity and scaling its successful tray-to-tray recycling business into additional countries”.

The deal is subject to approval by competition authorities, as well as completion of Faerch’s acquisition of the Sirap (Verolanuova / Italy; www.sirapgroup.com) food packaging business in Italy, Poland and Spain, which was announced last month – see Plasteurope.com of 10.11.2020.

Once the transaction has completed, Faerch will continue to operate as a separate company.

Advent International bought Faerch in June 2017 from private equity fund EQT VI, which owned the food packaging company since 2014.