A family business,
decades in the making.
Over 25 years of rigid plastic packaging at four UK and Ireland sites — and a real commitment to the people, partners and craft behind every bottle.
Our story, in one line: we make bottles, properly.
We started in 1999 when Plysu and Blowmocan merged under Nampak. Through three decades, four sites and countless cells we have stayed the same business at heart: rigid plastic packaging, made by people who care about the craft.
Our 2020 rebrand to First Circle Packaging marks our intent to take the organisation into its next stage of growth — independent, focused and family-feel. Many of our team have been with us for decades. New people join all the time. The culture stays the same.
What sets us apart.
Four things our customers tell us they value most. Decades of experience translated into how we work with you, every day.
Proactive plastic solutions
We anticipate, not react. From brief through to delivery we work with our customers as partners, not suppliers.
Our productsInnovation through expertise
Decades of bottle-making, ongoing R&D in lightweighting, recycled content and multi-layer extrusion.
InnovationEnd-to-end customer support
Design, prototyping, manufacturing, in-house printing, ongoing service. One team, every step.
How we workLeading sustainability solutions
rHDPE up to 50% recycled content, closed-loop programmes, ISO 14001 management at every site.
Sustainability
A heritage of bottle-makers.
Three decades, four sites and a string of UK industry firsts. We have changed names but never the craft.
1999
Plysu and Blowmocan merge
Two long-running UK bottle-makers come together under Nampak — the heritage that becomes First Circle.
2000
First in-plant operation
We establish our first implant arrangement at Oakthorpe, Enfield — manufacturing inside the customer’s premises.
2007
Recycled HDPE for dairy
We introduce recycled HDPE to the dairy industry — a step-change for closed-loop milk packaging.
2010
Pennybridge opens
A new operation in Pennybridge, Northern Ireland. Today still our flagship in-plant site.
2012
Lightweighting at scale
Lightweighting introduced to the dairy sector — material savings without sacrificing strength.
2013
First 30% rHDPE 4-pint
The first four-pint milk bottle made with 30% recycled material — a UK industry first.
2014
Licensed in Australia and NZ
Our lightweight bottle design is licensed to dairy producers in Australia and New Zealand.
2016
Ballitore, Ireland
First in-plant operation in Ireland — at Ballitore, Co. Kildare.
2019
Livingston opens
A fourth site, Livingston in Scotland, completes our UK and Ireland footprint.
2020
Rebrand to First Circle
We rebrand from Nampak Plastics Europe Ltd to First Circle Packaging Ltd — the next chapter, independent and family-feel.
Meet the leadership.
The people running the day to day across our four UK and Ireland sites. A real team you can reach.
- CP
Chris Phelan
Chief Executive Officer
- AN
Amina Nasir
Finance Director
- MR
Mark Robinson
UK Sales Manager
- CK
Claire Kenney
Business Development Manager
- SB
Stephen Bell
Business Development Manager
- AM
Ann-Marie Monger
Customer Account Manager
Where to next.
Products
See what we make.
HDPE and PET for dairy, food, home, beauty and industry. Bespoke from brief to delivery.
Explore productsSustainability
Our standard, not our headline.
rHDPE up to 50%, closed-loop programmes, ISO 14001 at every site.
SustainabilityCareers
Join a place where people stay.
Over 250 of us across four sites. Operative, engineering and apprenticeship roles open now.
See open rolesTalk to us
Start a project.
Send a brief, ask about an implant arrangement, or just say hello.
Get in touch