BPI’S ‘CORE’ STRATEGY PAYS OFF

Leading UK printer/converter bpi.consumer VMB recently extended its highly successful core re-use initiative to include a major customer, Greenvale AP, the UK’s leading supplier of fresh potatoes. Having successfully concluded a long term trial in-house as part of a strategy to reduce waste to landfill, the company approached Greenvale AP to share the substantial benefits of a 102 tonne reduction in cardboard waste and the associated drop in transit packaging figures in the Annual Return required by the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007. During the initial trial period bpi.consumer VMB sought to ensure that the system worked well from raw material receipt to functional application and reverse logistic arrangements. At the end of the trial the company was confidently able to implement the EU waste hierarchy of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ in respect of core usage. The plastic cores now used across its operations and those of Greenvale AP are manufactured by sister division bpi.recycled products using scrapped process materials from bpi.consumer VMB and elsewhere within the BPI group. Together both businesses have reduced the amount of cores required overall, reusing them in excess of 50 times before returning them for recycling into new cores. Previously, bpi.consumer VMB had used cardboard cores but was experiencing difficulty sourcing ongoing cost-effective recycling outlets in order to avoid landfill. The company specifies plastic cores when ordering its base film products from sister division bpi.films. Once in the system, the cores are in a cycle of re-use between bpi.films and the print and conversion departments within bpi.consumer VMB. A similar cycle operates for the cores in use with Greenvale AP. Brian Taylor, Business Director, bpi.consumer VMB commented: “The system is working well. The plastic cores we originally acquired in the trial stages are still in use today across our factory processes. Apart from the obvious cost benefits we are further enhancing our environmental credentials and those of our sister companies.” He continued: “Importantly, we have been able to share these benefits with Greenvale.” Commenting on the benefits of the scheme, Rob Phillips, Operations Manager, Greenvale AP said: “Initiatives such as this enhance the bespoke ISO14001 based environmental management system Greenvale operates.” He continued: “Key to its success is the continual reduction of resource consumption and we are delighted that something as simple as re-using recycled reel cores enables us to divert a significant amount of cardboard waste from landfill each year.” ENDS IMAGE: bpi consumer VMB cores.jpg CAPTION: Core benefits. Customers like Greenvale AP are reducing their waste stream contribution thanks to bpi.consumer VMB’s core re-use initiative.

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