In July, Ball Packaging Europe’s Deeside End Making Plant hosted a visit from Mr John Griffiths, Environmental and Sustainability Minister for the Welsh Assembly. BPE has two plants in North Wales; one beverage can plant the other an end (lid) plant.
Deeside used this unique opportunity to share with the Minister their outstanding efforts made with regards to overall utility reduction and their achievement in realising “Zero Waste to Landfill”. This environmental milestone was recognised by John Griffiths who presented an award to the plant team.
On presenting the award the Minister commented: “Changing the way we deal with our waste to be sustainable not only means we’re being green but can bring concrete business benefits. We know, for example, that in the coming years, businesses will face escalating landfill costs, whilst the cost of many raw materials will continue to climb. That’s why resource efficiency is so important. Ball Packaging Europe is an excellent example of the way in which designing out waste and recycling everything possible, brings tangible business benefits. I want to congratulate them on meeting their target, and call on other Welsh businesses to follow their lead”.
Also doing the can making plant rounds was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Lord Henley, who visited Crown’s Botcherby Can & End Plant. The Crown factory produces six million beverage cans and 18m cans ends every day. The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) welcomed Lord Henley to the plant, where he saw resource efficiency demonstrated in the can production process.
“The metal packaging industry has a great story to tell regarding resource efficiency with investment over many years in making cans lighter while retaining their strength and robustness,” said MPMA Chief Executive Nick Mullen.
Rexam’s Wakefield Can Plant was visited by Morley and Outwood MP Ed Balls. He toured the entire can making process from the start of a simple rolled sheet of aluminium, to the complete finished can.
Wakefield plant manager Michael Waite said: “It was great to meet Ed Balls and to be given the opportunity to showcase our plant and our manufacturing skills. We are very proud of what we do here”.
“Ed was keen to learn about Rexam’s development and about the beverage can, particularly the fact that the can is 100% recyclable. He agreed that the UK packaging industry is an impor
tant one for both the future of the manufacturing industry and the UK as a whole.”
The plant visits provide an ideal opportunity to engage directly with policy formers and policy makers and for them to witness, at first hand, the strength of both the corporate and personal sustainability endeavours which address such significant challenges.
