Alliance Allows Composite Decking Manufacturer to Repurpose Plastic Waste

Arkansas Poly & Printing, an Arkansas-based producer of flexible consumer packaging, and Trex Co., a manufacturer of wood-alternative decking and railing and innovator of eco-friendly outdoor living products, have entered into a mutually beneficial alliance that promises to further elevate both companies as sustainability leaders.

Through this partnership APP will contribute post-industrial and post-consumer resin-based packaging products for recycling by Trex in the making of its composite products for the building market.

Built on sustainable values, Trex composite decking is manufactured from 95 percent recycled and reclaimed materials, including a mix of industrial wood scrap and polyethylene plastic film. Each year, the company repurposes more than 400 million pounds of discarded commercial and post-consumer plastics otherwise destined for incineration or landfills.

In addition to its manufacturing facilities in Virginia and Nevada, Trex Company is in the process of building what will be its third U.S. production site in Arkansas. Located within the Port of Little Rock, the approximately $400 million campus will include buildings dedicated to decking and railing production, warehousing, reclaimed wood storage, and plastic film recycling and processing. This new polyethylene processing facility will enable the company to collect and process even more plastic waste through its ever-expanding network and NexTrex commercial and community recycling programs.

“Commercial partners like Arkansas Poly are essential to Trex’s sourcing efforts,” explains Zach Lauer, vice president, supply chain for Trex. “We are excited to join forces with a company that shares our vision of driving recycling for plastic films and pleased to be establishing meaningful connections with our new neighbors in Arkansas.”

Arkansas Poly & Printing is a vertically integrated Flexo-packaging manufacturer, which extrudes, prints and converts flexible film for industrial and consumer packaging purposes. The company has a focus on diverting plastic films from landfills by developing materials that are readily recyclable.

“Our mission of making quality packaging with the least impact to the environment is in perfect alignment with Trex, and we could not be happier to welcome them to Arkansas,” says Sarah Sparks Diebold, co-owner of APP. “This alliance further exhibits our commitment to sustainability within the packaging industry and adds value to our products by providing a tangible ‘next life’ for our resin-based packaging in the form of beautiful and high-performance Trex outdoor living products.”