Leading polymer distributor, Plastribution, has won the British Plastics Federation (BPF) award for Polymer Design & Innovation 2022, for their ‘7 Branches of Sustainability’ – a simple yet highly effective solution of using categories to assist plastics processors with their sustainable material and design choices.
The prestigious award is run jointly by the BPF and the Worshipful Company of Horners. The company was presented with an honorary Horners trophy at the BPF Annual Dinner, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel London on 13th October.
Plastribution first launched its sustainable materials portfolio in 2019, in response to ongoing environmental concerns regarding plastic and the calls from designers, brand owners, OEMs and converters for solutions for a diverse range of applications. It was clear from the outset that the portfolio needed grouping into distinct categories to assist with material selection.
“Since sustainability means a lot of things to different people, we needed to carefully think how we presented our selection of products in a clear and concise way,” explained Plastribution’s marketing executive, Matt Goodger.
“We decided on using 7 categories, or branches, as a foundation of how we showcase the portfolio and to enable fact-based material and design choices for plastics processors. The categories, which each provide a material solution from specific producers, are: Reduced Carbon Footprint; Biodegradable/Compostable; Water Soluble; Bio-Content; Circular Economy; Recycled/Recyclability; and Renewable Content.
“Since a customer’s definition will generally fall into one of these branches, our team can then direct designers to that particular ‘branch’ on our sustainable portfolio website, so that they can easily find out more information about the products that we offer. Should they want further assistance, our in-house sustainability team are on hand to provide additional support as required,” added Matt.
According to the BPF, the field of entries for the polymer design and innovation award was very strong this year, with a spokesperson adding: “The judges felt that Plastribution’s sustainability concept is a shining example of how innovation in design can help us all move towards the circular economy”.
“This is well deserved recognition of a fantastic initiative,” concluded Plastribution’s managing director, Mike Boswell. “Our sustainability portfolio represents a great deal of hard work by a number of key individuals in the business, and I thank them all for making the portfolio the success that it has become. Interestingly, this is the first time a concept has won this award rather than a product or a design project, so in that respect the achievement is unique.”
Find out more about Plastribution’s sustainability portfolio here.