Packaging specialist invests in green credentials

LEEDS Vacuum Formers (LVF), the thermoformed packaging specialist, has taken great strides to enhance its green credentials by investing £100,000 in a series of environmentally friendly initiatives, with an additional £90,000 set aside for a second phase of development later this year.
 
The West Yorkshire-based company also recycles over 90% of all waste produced, and where possible all products are made from rPET, which means they already contain a minimum of 50% post-consumer waste.
 
Nigel Coates, managing director of LVF, said: “When it comes to green credentials the packaging industry doesn’t rate highly – tarred as it is with criticism about supposedly unnecessary amounts of packaging on various products.”
 
“Our intention is to change this attitude, and one of the ways we feel we can achieve this is by ensuring we do everything within our means to reduce our environmental impact.”
 
Amongst the key green developments at LVF are:
•         An £80,000 investment in a 70kw solar panel system on the roof of its Hunslet Business Park headquarters in Leeds in 2013, with a second phase planned for summer 2014, which would take the investment to £160,000 and upgrade the system to 150kw
•         A £20,000 investment in LED lighting for use throughout the company’s production and warehouse facilities, with an additional £10,000 earmarked for bringing the offices in line with the rest of the property
•         An on-going commitment to recycle as close to 100 per cent of waste material as possible
 
LVF’s commitment to changing attitudes towards the packaging industry also extends to its choice of suppliers, with the company sourcing over 90 per cent of all materials from within a 25-mile radius of Leeds.
 
“Any business, no matter what industry it operates in, has an obligation to the environment and we’re no different,” added Nigel.
 
“We have reviewed every aspect of our operation and looked to make changes that will have a positive impact. If others in the packaging industry were to follow suit – or at least highlight what they’re already doing – then I’m sure the public perception of the industry would change significantly.”