With news on: Valpak launches ‘zero carbon’ battery scheme; Andusia in Management Buy-In; Stora Enso invests in pilot bio-based facility; Asda removes 700 tonnes of plastic from its packaging
Valpak launches ‘zero carbon’ battery scheme
Compliance and recycling company Valpak has launched a battery collection service in London which it claims is the first in the world to be ‘zero carbon’.
The company expects to collect around five tonnes of used batteries in six months under the scheme. It adds to the company’s existing batteries service which collects millions of batteries from over 30,000 UK businesses, including the likes of Sainsburys, Co-op and M&S.
Batteries collected under the scheme are collected by couriers on bike
James Nash, commercial manager at Valpak said: “The expansion of the zero-carbon scheme to London has already proved a great success, with a staggering 217 businesses across the capital signing up. This is a triple-win for businesses – ensuring that batteries are recycled correctly, helping businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and, importantly, making sure that enough batteries are recycled each year to allow retailers to meet their compliance obligations.”
The launch follows on from the launch of the scheme in Cambridge, which has generated half a tonne of batteries since June.
Valpak supplies battery boxes to store household portable batteries such as AA and AAAs. Once the boxes are full, Zedify couriers collect the boxes free of charge while delivering packages across the city. While collection vehicles typically tot up 298kg of CO2 for ever mile, Zedify’s bikes emit zero C02, no matter how many journeys they take. They also help to avoid congestion and delays caused by waiting in traffic queues.
Mr Nash said: “The aim is to include battery removal as an additional service for existing delivery customers. As well as slashing emissions, the scheme helps to attract new sources of waste batteries, which drives greater volumes for recycling.”
In the UK, around 40,000 tonnes of portable batteries were sold in 2018, with only around 18,000 tonnes being recycled.
Andusia in Management Buy-In
After almost eight years of trading, RDF export specialist Andusia has entered into a management buy-in (MBI) arrangement with the existing management team.
Steve Burton and Stewart Brackenbury from Andusia
The buy in will enable Andusia to implement a new wider staff ownership structure, offering shares (Enterprise Management Incentives, or EMIs) to staff and, as such, a minority stake in the company.
The MBI and staff shares scheme is all part of a medium-term strategy for the future success of the business and will consequently see the roles of the two shareholder/directors change.
Firstly, Steve Burton will take on the specific role of managing director and will head the company as it develops forward over the coming years. Secondly, Stewart Brackenbury will take on the role as chairman and will accelerate the succession planning for his current responsibilities to take on new employees whilst he moves into an ambassadorial role to help shape the direction of the business.
Steve Burton said: “The MBI is just the next step in the evolution of Andusia. We are delighted that we can now allow our hard-working team to share in the growing success of the business. Our plans for the next few years will focus heavily on the UK market whilst continuing our significant and growing export businesses and we are looking forward to entering into 2020 with some exciting developments afoot”.
Stora Enso invests in pilot bio-based facility
Paper and packaging giant Stora Enso is investing €9 million (£7.6m) to build a pilot facility for enabling the production of bio-based plastics used in transparent packaging.
The pilot plant will convert plant-based sugars (pictured) into a bio-based plastic
The pilot plant will convert plant-based sugars into the renewable building block required to make PEF, a bio-based plastic, mainly targeting the food and beverage industry. The facility will be located at Stora Enso’s Langerbrugge paper mill in Belgium.
The plant will focus on developing a competitive process for manufacturing FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) from sugars. FDCA is a key component of the bio-based barrier material PEF (polyethylene furanoate). The company said that PEF’s barrier, mechanical and thermal properties could open up new packaging opportunities, such as small liquid containers for soft drinks, juices and other beverages.
“Bio-based materials are of rapidly growing interest in the packaging world as companies look for sustainable packaging materials with high performance,” says Markus Mannström, executive vice president of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division.
The new pilot project will be run by Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division. The plant is estimated to be ready in the first quarter of 2021. Decisions about commercialisation will follow after evaluating the results of the pilot-scale production.
Asda removes 700 tonnes of plastic from its packaging
Asda has today (12 December) announced plans to remove 700 tonnes of plastic a year from its entire steak range and replace it with ‘recyclable cardboard’.
Black plastic will be removed from all of Asda’s steak ranges
The move follows a trial the company ran on one of its steak ranges in September, and after a “positive response from customers” the retailer is rolling this out across all its own-brand steak lines.
According to the supermarket chain, more than 23 million black plastic trays each year will be removed across its entire Extra Special, Butchers Selection and Farm Stores lines.
Senior buyer for red meat and fish at Asda Paul Geary said: “We are passionate about delivering our commitment to customers to use less and recycle more and this move marks the next step in our journey as we strive to make all of our own-brand packaging 100% recyclable by 2025”.
Asda explained in a statement that the pledge forms part of its plan to ‘use less, recycle more’.
This also includes a commitment to reach “30% recycled content in its plastic packaging by the end of 2020 and 15% overall reduction in plastic by February 2021”.
Reaching the target should avoid the use of around 19,500 tonnes of virgin plastic, Asda explained.
The post News in Brief (12/12/19) appeared first on letsrecycle.com.
Source: letsrecycle.com General
