AXION POLYMERS HAS THE FIRST UK CARBON LABEL FOR A POLYMER

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Axion Polymers is the first polymer producer in the UK and Europe to offer customers a product with the Carbon Reduction Label – Axpoly® PS13 post-consumer recycled polystyrene derived from retail packaging waste.

Axion gained PAS 2050 certification and The Carbon Trust’s labelling in June after months of evaluating its product’s carbon footprint and demonstrating the sustainability of the process. Other products in the range will now follow.

Axpoly® PS13, made from recovered garment hangers, creates just 17% of the emissions associated with the full supply chain for oil-based virgin polymer. Based upon current, but increasing, production levels, Axion’s recycled Axpoly and Axfoil sheet grades save around 15,000 tonnes per annum of CO2 emissions when compared to the same volume of virgin polystyrene.

Axion has devoted significant time, effort and resources to measuring its process footprint, which included specialised staff training courses at the Carbon Trust and completing a full ‘cradle to gate’ life-cycle analysis on its operations and those of its raw material supplier. We have also committed to further reducing carbon emissions.

Axion’s Director, Keith Freegard comments: “As the UK’s most innovative converter of waste engineering plastics into polymer compounds that are ‘as good as virgin’, we are very pleased to gain this key environmental accreditation which proves our commitment to carbon reduction.”

He asserts that carbon labelling is the best way to signal the full environmental impact to the consumer, saying: “The UK retail market for consumer goods has recently begun to appreciate the importance of ‘carbon impact’ as part of the marketing strategy for any new product. The purchaser’s final buying choice is often influenced by the relative ‘greenness’ of any product.”

Keith adds: “Recycling plastic is about using a rapidly growing waste resource in new and exciting ways; viewing it as a fresh, sustainable and renewable source of materials for use back in new goods that consumers want to buy. Our aim is to provide sustainable products with a long term future.”

Axion’s high-grade post-consumer polymers are manufactured to ISO 9001 quality standards, RoHS-compliant and REACH-ready. They are used in a variety of closed-loop recycling applications for new products, such as flat screen TV panels, washing machine components and horticultural pots.

General Manager of The Carbon Trust Footprinting Company, Euan Murray comments: “Axion Polymers has taken a lead in the UK polymer industry and joined our stable of brands committed to reducing their carbon footprint.”

“By adopting the Carbon Reduction Label, Axion Polymers has committed to reduce the carbon footprint of its Axpoly PS13 product in two years. Not only does that make environmental sense it makes economic sense, because of the energy and waste reductions it will help to deliver.”

“We applaud also that Axon Polymers will use the Carbon Reduction Label to communicate to business customers the importance of assessing the carbon impact of their own products that use this material. This will influence further carbon benefits along the supply chain.”

Posted on July 23, 2010 · in UK

Tagged as: Carbon Emissions • Carbon Footprint • Carbon Reduction • U. K. Carbon