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Call us: +44 (0) 1355 236 170
Call us: +44 (0) 1355 236 170
At Richmond, we put all our effort into maximising the positive effects of packaging on the environment (there's a huge reduction in product wastage through careful packaging), and minimising the negative impacts that some of our products can unfortunately have when handled in the wrong way.
You will notice the Sustainable icon against certain products. These products are a careful selection of items which stand out beyond the norm in sustainability. We recognise that standard plastic recycling is currently good, and continually improving, but it needs further education and resource invested in it, in order to become truly great. Single-use plastics still end up littering the streets and countryside, through a lack of consumer education on our responsibilities regarding the drains and waterways that lead to our great oceans. With this in mind, we have carefully selected the following product types to bear our Sustainable mark:
Glass is an infinitely recyclable material. It will not lose its qualities with recycling, and is currently widely recognised by consumers as one of the most recyclable materials. Being inert, it also lends itself to a re-usable pack, which is a fantastic way to drive down packaging waste.
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Another infinitely recyclable material which loses none of its strength or quality in the recycling process, aluminium is the most abundant metallic element in Earth's crust. Our aluminium closures can make a great finish to a glass pack - a fully recyclable or re-usable, highly sustainable pack.
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Where our products contain 30% or more content that has already been used once and has come through a recycling process, we have noted this in its description. In addition to environmental benefits, with the UK government targeting a tax towards plastic which has less than 30% recycled content, this is becoming the focus of many.
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Black plastic which has been manufactured using carbon black masterbatch is usually difficult for current recycling machinery to correctly identify using the NIR scanning method. Where our black plastic products use NIR-detectable masterbatch, this means they are much more easily identifiable in normal recycling streams, using the normal methods.
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This is Post-Consumer Recyclate which specifically has been reclaimed from oceans, beaches, nearby waterways, or from mismanaged waste within 50km of the coastline. If you want to learn more about ocean-bound plastic, check out this research by Jenna R Jambeck.
Elephant grass is a fast-growing crop which is used to form a bioplastic. A hectare of elephant grass can absorb four times more greenhouse gases than a hectare of tree forest, and also rejuvenates the soil in which it is grown, making it a highly sustainable solution.
Another biopolymer, HDPE made from sugarcane helps to lower greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as the sugarcane itself naturally absorbs CO2 as it grows. Some bio-polyethelenes produced in this way can be recycled using existing recycling methods.
PET is widely recycled in the UK through household recycling streams.
HDPE is another material which is widely recycled through standard UK household recycling streams.
Recycling PVC is a complex chemical process, and it is not currently recycled by UK houshold recycling schemes.
LDPE can be recycled, but not many councils take this in the UK, for the types of products you will find on our website.
Polypropylene (PP) can be easily recycled, and is widely taken in household recycling, across many (but not quite all) parts of the UK.
We are used to seeing Polystyrene (PS) in the form of expanded polystyrene takeaway boxes. It is also a hard material used for some cosmetic spatulas, but is not commonly recycled.
This category covers a mix of plastics, some of which are recyclable, and some of which are not. On this website, it is sometimes used for products containing mixed materials, as results can vary and these are best kept out of the recycling streams.
Steel is a commonly recyclable metal, although not found in many of our products.
Aluminium is an infinitely recyclable material, and retains all of its qualities even after recycling. Many of our closures are made from this highly sustainable material.
Clear glass is a commonly recycled and sustainable choice, taken in many areas of the UK as household recycling.
As green is such a common glass colour, it also has its own recycling code. Green glass products are commonly recycled, a sustainable option.
Brown (often called amber) glass is recyclable, with many UK councils offering a kerbside collection. Glass is a sustainable choice and is widely recognised as recyclable, by consumers.
Richmond hold the internationally-recognised ISO14001 accrediation. This just shows the commitment that we already have, that our whole team is committed to protecting our environment. The accreditation is given to companies who have a proper system in place to manage their environmental impact, a system which ensures the engagement of the whole team in environmental management.
Download our certificate here.
Richmond is committed to helping the reduction of plastic pollution and to strengthen our efforts, we have been working with Ocean Generation to help them reach their aims. To encourage our customers to engage with the challenge of pollution in the oceans, we have donated to Ocean Generation using fun methods, such as involving customers in a survey where they could choose to request that we add to our donation.
Richmond is committed to ensuring reduced energy consumption by using LED lighting throughout the facilities. LED lighting is fundamental in reducing use of electricity as, depending on the type and output of the lighting unit, they are up to 80% more efficient.
Richmond is committed to reducing energy consumption. We have multiple heat recovery units which reprocess all of the air in our premises. By recapturing warm air, these units can save up to 30% of the energy required for heating.
Richmond is committed to ensuring that electricity is from renewable sources. Solar panels fitted along the length of head office, provide us with most of our operating power and on the sunniest days we even supply electricity back to the grid. In addition, 75% of our back-up electricity supply comes from renewable sources.
Richmond is committed to reducing energy usage by providing four electric car charging points. This helps the team here at Richmond to reduce their carbon footprint on the commute to work. In addition, the forklift trucks are electric, provided by 75% renewable sources.
Richmond is committed to reducing packaging waste by recycling cardboard. All waste cardboard is collected by Highlander Recycling where it is recycled to make new cardboard products. We also use biodegradable poly chips to reduce plastic packaging usage.
There’s a highly-trained team ready to assist you. We have decades of experience, dealing with complex packaging questions every day. You already know that primary packaging can be complex - now you can meet a team of people that actually get to the bottom of your issue and solve it with you
Contact usCall us: +44 (0) 1355 236 170
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