Italian manufacturer to open facility in Spalding County

Ecopol makes biodegradable packaging films, plans to hire 130.
An aerial view of eco-friendly industrial park The Lakes at Green Valley in Spalding County. SPECIAL to the AJC from the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority

Credit: SPECIAL

Credit: SPECIAL

An aerial view of eco-friendly industrial park The Lakes at Green Valley in Spalding County. SPECIAL to the AJC from the Griffin-Spalding Development Authority

A European maker of biodegradable packaging films plans to build a manufacturing facility in an environmentally friendly industrial park in Spalding County.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said Tuesday that Italian manufacturer Ecopol will open a $38 million facility at the Lakes at Green Valley in Griffin, about an hour south of Atlanta. The company is expected to hire for 130 new jobs, a news release said.

“Our goal was to identify a suitable property with nearby interstate and international airport access, a favorable utility environment, a talented regional labor force, and an economic development team that would be supportive of this strategic project now and in the future,” Mauro Carbone, CEO of Ecopol, said in the release.

Ecopol was founded in 2009, the release said, and makes water-soluble and biodegradable film products used to package consumer products such as cosmetics and detergents, as well as for chemicals used in agriculture.

“Georgia’s world-class connectivity to markets continues to draw in businesses from around the world,” Kemp said in the release. “I am excited for Ecopol to bring new opportunities to hardworking Georgians in Spalding County.”

The Griffin-Spalding Development Authority said the Lakes at Green Valley park is intended to attract green manufacturers.

“Environmental sustainability was a key objective in the development of the Lakes at Green Valley,” Griffin-Spalding Development Authority Chairman Chuck Copeland said in the release. “We are very happy to welcome another international company to our park whose product and processes align with that vision.”