The increased usage of recyclate is one of our key sustainability goals.
Manthorpe Building Products, as part of the Genuit Group, has been steadily working to advance sustainability across its operations. In 2023, we achieved a recyclate content of 51% of total tonnage used in our manufacturing processes. As part of the Group Strategy Deployment initiative for 2024, we committed to substantially increasing this figure to 62% by 2024/2025, focusing primarily on three key material categories: High Impact Polystyrene, Polypropylene, and Polypropylene regrind.
The challenge
Transitioning to higher recyclate content presented multiple technical and operational challenges:
- Material Specification: Developing and qualifying specifications for materials with higher recycled content while maintaining product integrity.
- Quality Control: Managing batch variations in recycled materials required enhanced monitoring capabilities.
- Reduced Processing Window: Both injection moulding and extrusion processes faced narrower operational parameters when using recycled materials.
- Testing Limitations: Our existing testing infrastructure lacked the quantitative capabilities needed to ensure consistent quality with varied recyclate inputs.
- Increased Maintenance: Tool maintenance requirements escalated due to potential contamination issues from recyclate materials.
- Skills Gap: The technical complexity of working with higher recyclate percentages demanded advanced skills from our production team.
Solutions
We implemented a comprehensive strategy to address these challenges:
- Infrastructure Investment: Built a dedicated quality laboratory and installed additional silos to enhance our material handling capabilities.
- Enhanced Testing: Invested in equipment to significantly improve our quantitative testing abilities, allowing us to better monitor and control material consistency.
- Maintenance Protocols: Developed and implemented robust Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) schedules specifically designed for working with recycled materials.
- Workforce Development: Initiated targeted upskilling programs through college-based training for our manufacturing team, with special emphasis on injection moulding and extrusion setters through Performing Manufacturing Operations (PMO) training.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Established working groups across production, quality, sales, technical, and commercial departments to ensure coordinated approach to challenges.
- Customer Engagement: Conducted extensive field testing with 50 home users, including detailed feedback questionnaires to validate product performance.
- Brand Alignment: Redesigned packaging to enhance customer experience and reinforce our sustainability message.
Results
Our strategic approach has delivered exceptional outcomes. This success demonstrates Manthorpe's commitment to the Genuit Group's sustainability objectives and showcases how technical innovation, strategic investment, and employee development can drive environmental improvements while maintaining product excellence.
- 64.5% Exceeded targets by the end of 2024 We achieved a recyclate content of 64.5%, significantly surpassing our ambitious 62% goal.
- 500 tonnes usage improvement year on year Represents an additional 500 tonnes of recycled material utilised compared to 2023 levels.
- Quality Despite the challenges of recyclates We maintained our high-quality standards through enhanced testing and process controls.
- Skills Our workforce now has advanced capabilities In working with recycled materials, positioning us for further sustainability improvements.
