Faerch becomes part of the A.P. Moller Group

Faerch A/S, the pan-European supplier of sustainable trays for the global food industry and the world’s first integrated tray recycler, becomes part of the A.P. Møller Group.

A.P. Møller Holding A/S (A.P. Moller Holding) has signed an agreement to acquire Faerch from funds managed by Advent International.

Faerch is a pan-European manufacturer of rigid food packaging solutions focused on ready meals, proteins, food-to-go and the dairy segments. It has pioneered circular packaging solutions, with products made from up to 100% post-consumer recycled content and fully recyclable to new food grade products in an endless number of cycles.

Faerch is the only food packaging company in the world to operate as an integrated tray recycler, offering its customers to recycle used food trays back into new food grade products at industrial scale.

Faerch Group CEO Lars Gade Hanse said: “We are delighted and proud to become part of the A.P. Moller Group. There is a perfect fit in terms of our core values, and we experience full support for our strategy to drive the industry’s transition towards circularity. Being part of the A.P. Moller Group with its outstanding family heritage, its long-term investment perspective and international network brings about many advantages and opportunities for Faerch.”

A.P. Moller Holding CIO, Jan Nielsen added: “As the investment arm of the A.P. Moller Foundation, we invest in and build businesses that have a positive impact on society – ‘nyttig virksomhed’. With its focus on making food packaging circular, Faerch certainly have a positive impact on society, and we are proud to welcome Faerch to the A.P. Moller Group. With our global presence and extensive network, we believe we will be a value-added and long-term partner assisting Faerch in accelerating its position as a leading sustainable food packaging company.”

Faerch will continue to operate as a separate company. With its new owners, Faerch 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 transaction of Faerch is subject to approval by the relevant competition authorities and completion of Faerch’s recently announced acquisition of the Sirap food packaging business in Italy, Poland and Spain.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Holstebro, Denmark, Faerch Group employs more than 1,400 people, spread across 11 production sites in Denmark, Great Britain, France, Spain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. As a result of the company’s recently acquisition of the Sirap food packaging business in Italy, Poland and Spain, close to 1,000 additional employees in five production sites will also join the group. The Sirap transaction is expected to close during the next four weeks.