Palace Chemicals has worked with its’ packaging suppliers to convert over two million containers so they are now being produced entirely from recycled plastic as part of its ongoing drive to reach its ongoing sustainability targets.
The UK’s largest manufacturer of tile adhesives, grouts, sealants, building chemicals, wood treatments and decorating sundries has replaced all its bottles, buckets and small size tubs with 100% post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) as the primary raw material.
Now, customers can purchase products like Palace’s Tilers Primer, Super-Grip & Master-Grip in the new eco-friendly containers, comfortable in the knowledge that they are doing their bit for the environment.
It forms part of a much wider, long-term effort to reduce the company’s carbon footprint – an initiative which has led Palace Chemicals to invest heavily in new processes, plant and equipment over many years.
Steve Ball, Commercial Director for Palace Chemicals, said: “Sustainability has been our watchword long before it became the ‘trendy’ thing to do.
Everything we do, whether it’s changing our production processes, improving logistics or instilling the right culture within our workforce, always focuses on sustainability from the outset. Recent global concerns about plastic waste have encouraged us to expand our environmental pledge and fast-track our replacement of plastic containers with more eco-friendly alternatives.
The replacement programme is progressing well ahead of the deadline set for the new plastic packaging tax, so that where possible, all products will be delivered to our customers in 100% recycled plastic containers, significantly exceeding the minimum requirement of 30% recycled content.
As a consequence of converting more manually handled raw materials to bulk automated transfer systems, last year, Palace Chemicals confirmed it had removed over 80,000 composite paper sacks from its waste system, with over 97 per cent of its raw materials now handled via a fully automated bulk transfer system. The result is a huge reduction in waste combined with a reduction in the frequency and volume of transportation.
The firm has invested in numerous other technologies and processes under its ongoing ‘objectives for improvement programme’, which has operated as a BSI accredited ISO 14001 approved Environmental Management System since 2004.
Other advances include on-site emissions reductions and a continual push to replace certain energy-intensive raw materials within its building and construction products with effective ‘waste’ by-products from other industrial processes. For example, the Palace Extra-Lite range of adhesives employs new product technology that was shortlisted for an Environmental award at the TTA Awards in September last year. It incorporates over 40 per cent sustainable raw materials taken from low carbon processes, yet still provides adhesives at the high end of EN performance classification.
Importantly, the new range, which is available as Fast & Slow set versions in both grey and white, covers twice the tiling area supported by the previous range, meaning users need to transport only 50 per cent of the original weight to each job.
