Testing will be conducted on both recycled content and various biodegradable and bio-based materials, including bio-woods, nylon and Polylactic Acids to see how they perform when replacing or added to existing resins used in the manufacture of plastic components. These new materials can reduce the environmental and carbon impact of the products Essentra manufactures and helps its customers reduce their own carbon footprint.
The centre includes an investment in two different types of machine: an all-electric machine and a Servo Drive machine. The purpose is to enable Essentra to test how the materials will behave in the manufacturing process and the impact of different types of tooling. The net result is to achieve a more efficient and sustainable process, reducing scrap rates and accelerating speed of delivery.
Scott Fawcett, chief executive of Essentra PLC, said: “We're investing in a number of areas from an Environment, Social and Governance point of view and the Centre of Excellence is the latest example of how sustainability is embedded in our culture. We are investing significantly in the infrastructure to help us test and process new types of materials as well as how to reduce our energy intensity overall.”
The centre will be able to provide quantitative data to explain how a material performs, supported by an investment in Melt Flow Index technology to help predict the behaviour of a polymer in the manufacturing process.
According to Essentra, this is critical for testing materials that are already available and those that may be in the future.
Jennifer Spence, head of sustainability strategy at Essentra, said: “We get many requests from customers around the sustainability aspects of our products.
“The Centre of Excellence will support us in providing that data, including embedded emissions, recyclability, and how a material performs at the end of its life – for example whether the product can be re-used, and whether the materials are widely recyclable or biodegradable.”
Chris Butler, engineering director, said: “We've already made great strides, and currently 20% of our global raw materials comprise recycled content. We have a responsibility to make sure that we do everything we can to make plastic components more sustainable for the future.”
