If shoppers were able to see inside their local supermarket just before it opens each morning, they would be struck by the hive of activity that happens to ensure the foods they love are on shelves in time.
For hundreds of products – especially bread and baked goods – it is tote boxes and crates that supermarket employees rely on to transport products from factory to distribution hub and on to stores.
Made with high-quality polypropylene (pp), these tote boxes are designed to be reliable and strong but will eventually break or wear out due to daily use.
So, what happens next?
As things stand, not only does much of this material end up in landfill, but many supermarkets are paying collection and disposal fees too. This means precious warehouse space is taken up storing these until it’s cost-effective to have taken away.
At MBA Polymers UK – one of the world’s most advanced plastic recyclers – we think we can do better.
Manufacturers across the construction, electronics and packaging industry - and many more - are demanding higher quantities of recycled polypropylene and filled polypropylene (fpp) for their newest products. And tote boxes have emerged as an excellent feedstock for these materials.
Over the past 10 years, our company has diverted more than 250,000 tonnes of post-consumer plastics from landfill and incineration. It’s one reason why our recycled plastics have become the first materials of their kind to carry the Carbon Trust’s Lower Carbon label.
And it’s never been easier or more rewarding to give the tote boxes in your store a second life, with MBA’s flexible collection service, transparent traceability and environmental standards that earned us RecyClass certification.
And because we produce recycled plastics tailor made to the needs of our customers, MBA Polymers can pay for material that could otherwise be thrown away – turning a cost into a revenue stream as part of the circular economy.
Once material arrives at one of our state-of-the-art recycling centres, it undergoes a range of separation and extrusion processes utilising many technologies developed by our own researchers and engineers.
Every batch then undergoes 72 individual checks – including flow rate and moisture testing, with purity assessed every 20 minutes. Our in-house
technology allows us to verify product purity in seconds, with every batch able to be supplied with a full Certificate of Analysis.
Not only does this give confidence to the manufacturers who use our plastics in everything from plant pots and vacuum cleaners to the components in the next generation of electric vehicles – it also provides assurance to those who supply us with end-of-life products that the material they sell to us will have a useful second life.
There are other benefits that supermarkets who work with MBA Polymers UK can access, too. One of our social value initiatives enables them to donate the value of their materials direct to a charity or community group of their choice. MBA will then handle collection, processing and donation in house – as well as any paperwork required.
From consumers’ growing concern about the climate crisis to the imminent arrival of new or updated regulations, the pressure on supermarkets to show leadership when it comes to the circular economy is steadily increasing.
When it comes to handling broken or worn-out tote boxes, MBA Polymers UK offers a simple, effective and lower carbon solution for your business.