Dive Brief:

• Hartsville, SC-based Novolex has purchased Wisconsin Film & Bag (WFB) of Shawano, WI, a plastic bag and film manufacturer and recycler, for an undisclosed amount. WFB's 175 employees make custom polyethylene bags and films, and recycled and sustainable materials. 
• "This is important to us because it will further enhance our high-quality packaging choices for customers while advancing our position as the industry leader in sustainability," said Stan Bikulege, chairman and CEO of Novolex.
• Novolex (formerly Hilex Poly) is on an acquisitions tear after it was acquired by Wind Point Partners in 2012. Novolex bought Packaging Dynamics in December 2014, Duro Bag in July 2014, and a part of Clondalkin Group's North American Flexible Packaging Division in April 2013. Novolex now has 5,200 employees and 37 manufacturing locations in North America, and generates revenue of $2 billion.

Dive Insight:

Plastic bags get a bad rap for ending up in waterways and clogging recycling machinery. Some cities charge fees for the bags in hopes of curbing their use, and at least 160 municipalities in the U.S. have enacted bans.

Novolex senior director Phil Rozenski told Waste Dive in July that the plastic bag industry is working toward greater sustainability in its products. "All of our products have a sustainability share. We built our own recycling facility so we can recycle plastic bags from grocery stores," he said. "An important thing about sustainability is keeping good faith with the consumer."

In a bright spot for the industry, the recycling of post-consumer plastic film grew 11%, or by 116 million pounds, in 2013 to reach an estimated 1.14 billion pounds, according to a report.