The amount of energy required per m2 of material produced has continued to fall year on year down to 2.84KwHr per m2, representing a 43% drop since 2000. This reduction in energy used has been as a result of hard work on the company’s environmental objectives.
- Less energy to produce than other plastics, at least 15% less energy than linoleum and 50% less energy than ceramics
- Typical life of 20-25 years means fewer replacements so less energy to produce flooring for the life of the building
- Energy consumption in manufacture reduced by over 43% in the last 11 years
- Carbon emissions reduced by 16,410 tonnes since 2000
Energy Saving initiatives
- Installation of automatic shutdown systems to ensure machinery is switched off when not in use
- The implementation of lighting optimisers has continued across the site, which produces a saving of around 25% on energy used
- Installation of automatic lighting in the offices
- The metering and monitoring systems used in the factory for air, steam and all energy consumption has been crucial in identifying areas of leakage, unnecessary use and ways to cut the energy required
Our carbon emissions were reduced by 1,174 tonnes in 2011 and 1,091 tonnes in 2010. The total 16,410 tonne reduction in carbon emissions reported has been independently audited – Polyflor is working with the Carbon Trust’s Energy Management programme, which provides commercially viable solutions to help UK businesses and the public sector cut carbon, energy and costs.
Two significant contributors to our recent progress have come from the following initiatives at our Whitefield manufacturing site:
- The installation of the AirStar system, which reduces compressed air. This has had a massive impact on carbon emissions - reducing our carbon footprint by 20% in 5 years.
Water reduction is an important step in improving the environment and protecting natural resources.
On site, rainwater is collected and stored in a designated area known as ‘lodge water’. This is used to substitute mains supply, saving a valuable natural resource.
The following steps have been taken to ensure that energy and water usage is greatly reduced:
Optimisation of steam pressure
- Improvement of the efficiency of pumps and automatic controls
- Regular steam trap surveys
- Optimisation of cooling water temperature
- Installation of water economisers on toilets
Even with an increase in production throughout 2011 there has been continual progress on site in reducing both wet and dry waste.
As a business with electrical and electronic equipment to dispose of, we are fully compliant with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive and therefore recycle such waste accordingly.
Improvements on recycling meant that dry waste fell from 7.5% of production volume in 2002 to 1.7% in 2011, equating to a significant reduction in dry waste of 77% in nine years. Wet waste in 2011 was 60 tonnes, an impressive 91% reduction when compared to 2000’s figures.
*Plasticiser condensate from factory ovens
With the exception of paper tonnages, our 'waste recycled' figures for 2011 fell compared with 2010's figures. However, this is understandable given the importance we place on reducing potential waste in the first place. As production increases, investment is continually made to improve storage and handling facilities for subsequent waste on site. Limiting the potential for waste at the outset will continue to be a priority with reusing or recycling being the final legacy as part of our commitment for 'zero production waste to landfill' by the end of 2012.
Polyflor has been recycling vinyl since the 1950s, when we pioneered the manufacture of homogeneous flooring. It has always been considered a perfectly natural part of the manufacturing process.
- Vinyl flooring is most suitable for recycling and is 100% recyclable
- Average 25% recycled material content
- 10,314 tonnes of production waste and 547 tonnes of post consumer waste recycled in 2011
- 175.8 tonnes of dry waste (excluding vinyl waste) was recycled in 2011
- 112 tonnes of wet waste was recycled in 2011
There can be few materials better suited to recycling than vinyl flooring. Vinyl is 100% recyclable and can in fact be recycled many times over without losing any of its performance properties, furthermore recycled vinyl requires 85% less energy to manufacture than virgin PVC.
Post Production Waste
Post production waste vinyl is generated on site from scrap material produced during and after production, this comprises vinyl chippings, clean trims and off-cuts as well as recovered dust. We also recycle glass which is post consumer waste, combined with the aggregates, into many of our Polysafe products.
In the Future
With recycling being at the heart of Polyflor's operations, we will continue to invest significantly in the development of a much greater recycling capacity and capability, and fully utilise all options available in the recycling of post consumer waste back into new product.
The figure of 25% average recycled material is made up of both production waste and post consumer waste. We believe that quoting an average percentage is far more helpful to our customers than using the highest figure we achieved on one particular range or production run.