Osborne Clarke advises Biffa on full acquisition of Esterform

International law firm Osborne Clarke has advised Biffa, the UK’s leading sustainable waste management company, on the acquisition of the remaining 50.1% stake in Esterform, one of the UK’s largest producers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) preforms and bottles.

PET is a lightweight, strong and fully recyclable plastic, primarily used in drinks bottles and food packaging. The deal brings together Biffa’s PET recycling operations with Esterform’s manufacturing expertise to create a fully integrated circular PET packaging business.

Biffa first acquired a 49.9% stake in Esterform in 2023. With this latest transaction, Esterform becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the Biffa Group, continuing to trade under the Esterpet brand, led by Esterform’s founder Mark Tyne and his management team.

The Osborne Clarke team advising Biffa was led by Legal Director James Mackay, supported by Senior Associate Hannah Maidment and Associate Jad Soubra (corporate), with additional advice from James Meakin and Anna Reynolds (tax). Osborne Clarke Poland Partners Tomasz Olkiewicz and Aleksandra Sztajer advised on Polish law aspects of the transaction.

"Biffa’s full acquisition of Esterform marks an important step in building capacity for the UK’s circular economy for plastics. By combining Biffa’s recycling expertise with Esterform’s production capabilities, the deal creates an end-to-end PET packaging business that is well positioned to meet demand ahead of the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme. It has been a pleasure to support Biffa on this strategically significant deal, with colleagues across our cross-border team drawing on Osborne Clarke’s expertise in M&A within the energy, utilities and industrials sector.”

James Mackay, Legal Director at Osborne Clarke

Osborne Clarke has a market-leading corporate practice advising on high-profile domestic and international transactions. The firm works extensively with clients across energy and utilities, industrials and financial services, supporting them on sustainability, digitalisation and the transition to net zero.