Carbon Reduction
In our manufacturing operations we strive to be at the forefront of industry best practice with regard to environmental issues, using sustainable raw materials, minimising carbon footprint, waste reclamation and land fill, and maximising efficiency in our use of energy.
We design packaging to minimise its impact on the environment at every stage of the supply chain, specifying eco-friendly board grades and weights and avoiding the use of unnecessary materials. Everything we manufacture is 100% recyclable. We also offer a total cost of ownership audit to help our customers identify where waste can be eradicated and resources saved.
Our strategic environmental priorities are:
Raw Materials
Everything we produce can be recycled.
Our in-house corrugator uses only paper from sustainable sources in the manufacture of corrugated board. Our packaging is manufactured from corrugated board made from paper produced from reclaimed waste and renewable resources. Everything we produce can be recycled. We are also innovating to offer environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic packaging.
Board and paper
We have been accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) and use board and papers sourced from sustainable forests, approved by the FSC™, which have full traceability. This means we are entitled to stamp the packaging we produce with the FSC™ 'tick tree' logo.
We have worked with our paper suppliers to develop our own high performance speciality board grades, manufactured with less raw material but offering the same or better performance than equivalent, more conventional grades. These board grades include Less-flute, our economical, environmentally-friendly range available in various weights, which is suited to many sectors but is proving particularly attractive to food manufacturers and the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market.
Reducing the impact of packaging
We design specifically to reduce the raw materials consumed in packaging. As well as being good for the environment, packaging reduction can have a significant effect on unit price, warehousing, transportation and waste disposal.
- 'Right-sizing' - We have pioneered the concept of right-sizing, eliminating unnecessary packaging, extra boxes, layers and void-fill, and using fewer or lighter components wherever possible
- Preventing 'over-packaging' - Our structural design team will specify the optimum materials for your project - strong enough to do the job, but not excessively so - and we can test their suitability in our testing lab before production to guarantee performance
- Replacing one-trip plastic packaging - Wherever possible we design out the need for additional internal plastic packaging with clever structural design
Inks and coatings
The Weedon Group was the UK's first manufacturer of corrugated packaging to use predominantly natural printing inks, Earthinks®. We have also introduced the use of a new range of environmentally friendly, water-based coatings.
We have installed a digital printer which breaks new ground in the manufacture of environmentally-friendly packaging, using water-based ink. This not only makes it safe for food contact, but the packaging it produces is also easily and fully recyclable.
Our new Weipong flexo-printer can apply coatings at the same time as the board is printed, offering a cost-effective alternative to separate plastic packaging inside the box.
Glues
The hot melt glues we use in box manufacture are solvent-free and use 45% bio fuel.
Certifications
Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) - Both Weedon PSC and Weedon Corrugated Products have been accredited by the FSC™ and use board and papers sourced from FSC™-approved forests. This means we are entitled to stamp the packaging we produce with the FSC™ 'tick tree' logo, indicating that it is fully traceable and has been produced from sustainable forests.
View and Download our environmental policy
Weedon Group plant based packaging and displays