Corplex – the only manufacturer of Correx® – has won the Circular Economy Initiative category at this year’s MRW National Recycling Awards at the Hilton London Metropole. Corplex took the top honours for its innovative closed-loop recycling system for out-of-home (OOH) media. At the centre of the project is Corplex’s new multi-million-pound 22,000 sq ft deinking facility at its Gloucester site.
The project is a collaboration with Global, the Media and Entertainment group and The Delta Group. It allows direct returns of the printed Correx® boards, post advertising campaign, back to Corplex’s Gloucester site after each campaign. There the boards are shredded, washed and recycled into clean, high whiteness PP flakes. These are then re-extruded into new boards with up to 70% recycled content – an industry first.
“We are thrilled and proud to have won this award in a very competitive category,” said Corplex CEO Lucas van der Schalk. “It’s not only a testament to the hard work and investment that we’ve put into making the closed-loop system a reality, but also to the power of collaboration. We’d like to thank Global and The Delta Group for their expertise in creating this world-first project, which reduces waste and carbon footprint in outdoor advertising.”
The closed loop facility was also recognised at this year’s Made in Britain Impact Awards. Corplex was awarded Runner-Up in the Innovation of the Year category. The company was also shortlisted for a Sustainability of the Year award, further recognition for Corplex’s ongoing commitment to driving sustainable change through innovation. “To be recognised among Britain’s most forward-thinking manufacturers is a testament to our team’s dedication to innovation, sustainability, and continuous improvement,” added Lucas van der Schalk. “We are proud to have such a dedicated team, committed to continuous improvement.
Corplex is also working with partners across several packaging and other applications which will enable its Correx® boards and AkyPak® packaging and containers to be captured within a closed-loop system. Here, the process will be the same as with the OOH media project, with returns being shredded, washed and recycled into new Correx® sheets, delivering the many sustainability benefits to other sectors.