Recycler recognised for automotive success

Pioneering use of high-quality 100 percent recycled plastics derived from end-of-life vehicles in new automotive components secured an award for Axion Polymers at the Plastic Industry Awards 2013.

For the second year running, the Manchester-based plastics reprocessor won the Supplier Partnership: Polymer Producer award, this time for its collaborative work with Birmingham-based moulder, Barkley Plastics.

Axion’s recycled polymer, Axpoly r-PP51 1047 grade sourced from end-of-life vehicles, is moulded into a new automotive component for a popular British-designed and manufactured motor car, of which over 200,000 are sold worldwide.

At Axion’s multi-million pound Shredder Waste Advanced Processing Plant (SWAPP) in Trafford Park, Manchester, non-metallic materials are separated from about 600,000 cars a year to produce recycled plastics, aggregates for the construction industry and fuel to substitute coal.

The award-winning facility, one of the most advanced of its type in Europe, is already capable of delivering over 95 percent recycling and recovery of materials from end-of-life vehicles, thereby already meeting the fast-approaching January 2013 target ELVs. 

Axion Director, Keith Freegard, who collected the trophy from actor and comedian, Tim Vine, at the London awards ceremony on September 27, said: “Once again, we are delighted to be recognised in the Plastics Industry Awards because this sector represents the end market for all our hard work in recovering value from waste and providing closed-loop polymers back into the manufacturing industries.

“In our view, forging partnerships with moulders and OEM suppliers that help to drive the circular economy using sustainably-sourced materials has to be the way forward,” added Keith.

Matt Harwood, Business Development Engineer at Barkley Plastics, said: ““The partnership with Axion has proved to be invaluable and we look forward to our continuing work with the group; automotive and commercial industries are all moving towards recycled options and the fact they have a guaranteed constant supply for the reprocessed polymer is very important to us.”

He added: “The connection has also increased awareness of our range of technical capabilities and helped win us work with a leading car manufacturer and well known retailer.”

Axion Polymers Commercial Operations Manager Steve Bell said: “Production of Axpoly r-PP51 will be stepped up in the coming months as a result of investment enabling us to recover more plastics from end-of-life vehicles.

“We’re getting a lot of interest from vehicle manufacturers and winning this award has really helped to raise awareness of our sustainable example of closed-loop recycling in action in the automotive industry,” added Steve.

The partnership began in 2012 when Barkley Plastics approached Axion Polymers after it was asked by its prestige global car manufacturing client to source a sustainably-produced, reprocessed polymer for a vehicle air-vent component. Axion could deliver a quality-assured polymer, on time, and to the required specifications, providing a consistent product from a guaranteed feedstock supply.

Last year, Axion collected the same award for its work with Marks & Spencer in using Axpoly r-PS01, 100% derived from waste fridge plastic, as a direct replacement for virgin ABS in the Solutions gift range.