Recyclable LPDE tear caps supplied by Essentra Components

Essentra Components has agreed a new sustainable supply deal with Iracroft, the UK’s leading rigid tube manufacturer, to save 2.5 million parts going to landfill by using LDPE (low-density polyethylene) products that can be chipped and recycled for re-use in future production.

It is spearheaded by Iracroft’s largest UK customer which requires all of its tubes to be packaged and protected with more sustainable caps that can be recycled.

To overcome the challenge Essentra Components has agreed to supply Iracroft with up to 2.5 million LPDE tear caps offering the same level of product protection while being easily recyclable, enabling Iracroft to maintain the structural integrity of its original parts.

Iracroft and its customer, will in turn recycle all caps supplied through a circular chipping process, meaning all plastic will return into the manufacturing process as new products.

Richard Sederman, Essentra Components strategy and M&A director, said: “This programme will act as a crucial use case for circular manufacturing processes. Utilising recycled content within our products is a great step forward and saves several tons of carbon emissions, but the true measure of success will be seeing products you originally manufactured with one purpose, return to a customer as something entirely different.

“Iracroft have been leading the charge in ensuring the supply chain makes significant moves towards ‘net zero’, and we are proud to have worked alongside them to offer a solution.”

The ‘off-the-shelf’ solution adopted by Iracroft has also allowed its customers to save time in processing products due to its tear-off design, as well as taking advantage of shorter lead times thanks to quicker fitting and delivery times.

Alan Webb, Iracroft’s company secretary and director, said: “Essentra Components jumped into action with advice on how we could achieve sustainability, and provided samples and other resources. The fact that the solution was ‘off-the-shelf’ proved invaluable in enabling us to work with the minimum of disruption. This could be a real game-changer for our customers as well as own business.”