The Worshipful Company of Horners took to the Sustainability Stage at Interplas alongside dignitaries from the British Plastics Federation to name the winners of the Annual Horners' Awards 2021.
L-R: Master Horner Martin Muirhead, BPF DG Philip Law, and Upper Warden Mike Birrell.
The first known reference to the Company was when its ordinances were ‘corrected’ in 1284, making it one of the most ancient of livery companies. Horn is a natural plastic (keratin) and is therefore malleable, hence its usefulness as a vessel.
The Horners' Award for Plastics Innovation and Design, promoted in conjunction with the BPF, was awarded by Master Horner Martin Muirhead to Plastipak and LifeSave Technologies for their compact and lightweight fire extinguishing solution, the StaySafe 5-in-1.
Muirhead said: "The judges agreed that LifeSave Technologies' 5-in-1 hand-held fire extinguisher illustrates a fantastic application of plastic design, taking the qualities of a standard bulky fire extinguisher and making it compact, providing an extremely convenient safety product that everyone can benefit from."
BPF President Karen Drinkwater then presented the BPF Special Commendation Certificate to UK-based Matrix Moulding Systems for its Soniplas flow enhancement technology, which enables injection moulders to transform their "profitability and environmental credentials, as well as the significance of the range of positive reductions this advancement provides," Drinkwater said.
The final award of the presentation, the Horners' Bottlemakers Award, went to Zotefoams for its ReZorce circular packaging solution, which, according to Muirhead, was chosen as "a shining example of how technical developments in plastics can help us all move towards the circular economy."
The Worshipful Company of Horners is a voluntary academic and charitable organisation promoting academic support and design awards for innovations in container technology. Other awards include the Horners' Jewellery Award, the Design Innovation in Plastics Award for students, and the Polymer Apprentice of the Year Award, which is currently held by Emily Harris of Plasgran, a Berry Global Group member.
Next year, the Company will introduce the inaugural Net Zero Award for those businesses that have made the greatest progress in net zero manufacturing.