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Revolution Plastics has been aggressively expanding its Little Rock operations over the past few years and now has a new opportunity to continue that growth through an initiative that will provide recycled plastic products for food containers.
The Little Rock company, a plastics recycler and manufacturer, is a leader in the sustainability industry and the resin pellets it produces in the state are used in the agriculture, consumer-goods and food-services industries.
Revolution is teaming up with a Chicago company to deliver food and flexible packaging applications, which will use recycled plastic pellets produced at Revolution’s plant in Stuttgart. Together with Charter Next Generation, Revolution’s post-consumer resin (PCR) pellets will be used to manufacture stand-up pouches, pre-made bags and roll-stock applications for food-packaging uses.
The collaborative effort will produce protective film barriers used in bags for pet food or treats like M&Ms or microwaveable vegetable packages available in frozen-food sections across the United States.
“This was a multiyear, targeted project to improve our process and it has really paid off in showing what can be done with recycled content,” Scott Coleman, senior vice president of strategy and growth at Revolution, said in a statement announcing the initiative. “We feel this is just the beginning of tremendous growth and application development for PCR in flexible films.”
Revolution’s pellets have been certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for direct contact with food products without limitations. That approval allows the pellets to be used in development of containers for every food product, including milk, beverages and baked goods, for example. FDA approval opened a broader market for Revolution’s pellet products and created new markets in the food-related industry
The company has developed new proprietary processes, testing methods and quality-control measures to meet the FDA’s requirements.
Charter, which manufacturers single- and multi-layer plastic films, will use the pellets in its manufacturing operations, which include 14 facilities in 10 states. Charter’s specialty films serve as a protective barrier in flexible packaging for the food, consumer, health care and other sectors.
By using the Revolution-Charter products, large corporations will gain momentum in meeting federal recommendations to increase their sustainability efforts by using more recycled products.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has promoted a business environment that encourages development of a circular economy, which keeps materials, products and services in circulation for as long possible.
“The circular economy, when designed in a thoughtful and inclusive manner, has the potential to protect the environment, improve economics, and elevate social justice,” the agency noted in a white paper advocating its national recycling policy.
Revolution has developed a closed-loop system it uses in the plastics sector, allowing it to control how its products are recycled and manufactured. Revolution manufactures plastic products — trash bags, irrigation tubing for farmers, carry-out bags for restaurants — and then collects those products after use, cleans them and breaks them down into resin pellets that can be used to manufacture the products all over again. It’s a full-circle process.
Revolution began more than 30 years ago in Stuttgart by providing plastic irrigation tubing to farmers in the Delta region, focusing primarily on Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. It has more than 300 employees at production facilities in Little Rock and Stuttgart.
NWA HEALTH-TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR
Eight health-technology companies from across the globe are featuring their products and services during an accelerator initiative sponsored by Startup Junkie of Fayetteville.
The spring cohort, called Fuel For Your Health, is the first to feature health-tech startups. The program, which began in 2018, has included accelerators focused on the supply chain and artificial intelligence.
Fuel For Your Health ends in June and will bring entrepreneurs from Australia, Costa Rica, Montreal and Portugal to Northwest Arkansas. Three U.S.-based companies, including Lineus Medical of Fayetteville, are participating in the accelerator and will gain access to successful startup founders, mentorship and continuing education services.
Their solutions range from AI platforms to detect diabetes to improving quality of life for elders to streamlined mechanisms for medical exams, data and analytics. Lineus provides services that reduce IV complications.
“As the Fuel Accelerator continues to grow in both impact and scope, we see the opportunity to better serve our region by adding a focus on health-related innovations and technologies,” said Caleb Talley, Startup Junkie Foundation executive director. “Before long, people will think about Northwest Arkansas as a health care hub just as they currently do with retail or supply chain.”
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Walton Family Foundation help fund the initiative.
WEEKEND PITCH COMPETITION
Entrepreneurs in Central Arkansas are invited to develop and pitch business ideas during the Little Rock Venture Center’s April Startup Weekend. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday and ends next Sunday at 8 p.m. at the downtown Little Rock offices of the Venture Center, 417 Main St.
All levels of experience are invited to participate and will be assisted by mentors and facilitators who will guide the weekend activities. Subject matter experts in health technology, agriculture technology, education technology and community affairs will be on site to lend support.
Participants will learn how to pitch their services, build a business model, develop prototypes and assess market validation. Teams will compete for a $2,500 prize in each category.
“An event like this is critical to fueling innovative thinkers who are determined to succeed but are still in search of resources and support to move their business ideas forward,” said Arthur Orduna, executive director of The Venture Center.
Email Pamela Reed at pamela.reed@venturecenter.co for more information.
HEARTLAND CHALLENGE IN BENTONVILLE
A dozen startup teams from the University of Arkansas will participate in a competition that simulates the process of raising venture capital for high-growth enterprises.
The fourth annual Heartland Challenge Startup Competition, conducted from Thursday-Saturday at the Ledger in downtown Bentonville, offers a cash prize pool of $100,000. The university’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation will manage the competition, which awards $50,000 to the overall winner.
“It brings me great pride to showcase Bentonville as an attraction and destination for student founders from across the country,” said Deb Williams, the office’s senior director of operations and student programs. “The opportunities are endless for founders looking for an attractive place to build their businesses with support from investors, mentors, and a highly interconnected entrepreneurial community.”
Teams represent eight universities from seven states.
ALL APOLOGIES
Last Sunday’s column had the wrong name for the truck-driver training school in North Little Rock. It is WorldLink Truck Driving Academy.
Column ideas or recommendations? Thoughts or musings that need pursuing? Contact me at amoreau@adgnewsroom.com or at (501) 378-3567.
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