In the high-precision world of colour and additive masterbatches, numbers are a measure of experience. This month – exactly 29 years since their inception, Broadway reached a landmark that illustrates their enduring legacy: the completion of their 60,000th custom formulation.
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This was a blue colour compound in a customer’s specified grade of polypropylene, matched to Pantone 287C. These 60,000 matches represent decades of work, serving various market sectors including packaging, food and drink, automotive, construction, electronics, industrial, homewares and leisure – each match being tailored to the specific polymer and end-use requirements of the customer.
Watching this latest milestone pop up on Broadway’s internal system was Senior Colourist Mark Turner. Having joined the business when it first started operating in 1997, Mark has been a constant presence in the lab during Broadway’s 60,000 formulations.
The foundation of precision
Back in the late 90s, before the adoption of digital spectrophotometry and the deep data archives Broadway utilises today, colour formulation was an analogue art. A discipline requiring an innate understanding of pigment loadings and chemical combinations. For Mark, this meant seeing the final shade through the raw powders – a sixth sense for pigment interaction to deliver the desired custom colour in the moulded part.
"Back then, there were only three of us in the entire business," Mark recalls. "We had less equipment and a palette of pigments which was quite different to those we use today. Because we were a small team and a new player in the UK masterbatch industry, we had to prove our worth through unrelenting accuracy. We felt the need to ensure our quality control was sharper than established players because we were building our reputation one formulation at a time. 29 years and 60,000 formulations later, I still apply that same mentality to colour accuracy”.
Navigating complexity and compliance
Over the past 30 years there’s, been a shift in polymer science and global standards. Perhaps the most significant colouring hurdle Mark has navigated results from the industry’s move toward sustainability and an increasingly rigorous regulatory landscape.
“In the early days, the focus was purely on the aesthetic,” Mark explains. “Whilst that’s still hugely important, today much of our work involves helping customers adopt greener solutions and navigate complex regulations”.
These include food contact safety, material traceability and increasingly, considerations for packaging recyclability in line with EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and additionally PPWR (EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). Evolving standards such as the need for PFAS-free masterbatches mean Mark and the team also have to reformulate certain legacy formulations using newer, compliant chemistries. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) were historically prevalent in many polymer processing aids, but under Regulation (EU) 2025/40, the EU will prohibit food‑contact packaging that contains PFAS.
Mark continues: “When you combine those strict compliance requirements with the move toward PCR (post-consumer recycled) resins, the colourists job becomes more challenging. Unlike virgin polymer, PCR isn't a blank canvas; it brings its own inherent, variable base colours, adding an additional layer of complexity for polymer colourists.”
The palette of pigments available to a colourist has also tightened significantly. Back in 1997, formulations may have used pigments containing heavy metals like lead or cadmium to achieve bright, opaque yellows and reds. Today, these are restricted primarily due to human health concerns, in favour of safer organic alternatives. While environmentally responsible, these can require greater technical skill when it comes to custom colour formulations. Mark’s decades of experience are crucial in balancing the myriad of considerations when striving for colour accuracy.
Retaining the art of polymer colouring
Despite the leap in laboratory technology, Mark is adamant that the art of a complex formulation cannot be fully automated. Whether it’s a specific blue – like Broadway’s 60,000th match, or a complex functional additive package, he believes success is still rooted in the knowledge and skill of the colourist at the bench.
"Technology is great to aid efficiency. Having guidance for our ‘first shot’ is particularly helpful for less experienced colourists. But I think there’s no substitute for human knowledge and skill. There’s a fundamental intuition you develop for how additives and pigments are going to react together across different polymers. If the tech isn't set up correctly by someone who has a deep understanding, it’s never going to provide the performance you need. Modern tools will only be as good as the person using them."
60,000 and counting
As Broadway celebrates a colourful history of 60,000 formulations, they also look toward a technical future. The focus in the lab remains on unrelenting colour accuracy as well as developing new material solutions in alignment with the changing needs of the industry.
Dr Stephen Rayner Technical Director concluded:“This colouring milestone reflects the depth of our knowledge and expertise, and underscores our ability to deliver consistent, reliable results across a diverse range of polymer types, including recycled variants. These numbers illustrate the trust our customers place in us to meet their exact specifications with bespoke colour formulations. Looking to the future, polymer colouring will remain a vital part of our offering. Alongside this we continue to innovate – bringing new performance additives and greener solutions to market. As the industry continues to evolve, we’ll maintain the same approach to precision, reliability, and tailored material solutions which have defined our colouring heritage.”