Supply chain trials: Demonstrating a circular pathway for recycled materials through product development

DEEP DIVE: Advantage Automative supply chain trial 

Problem  

The automative sector was identified as a key target for the supply chain trials due to concerns about product quality, material consistency, testing, certification, and supply chain robustness.

Solution

WRAP Cymru’s lead partner BIC Innovation worked in collaboration with Advantage Automotive. Both businesses are based in Wales. Advantage Automotive, a tier one supplier* of screen wash systems were keen to trial the use of rHDPE within their products to achieve their sustainability goals. 

Project aims

• To demonstrate that the use of recycled materials in under bonnet automotive applications is achievable from both a technical and commercial perspective.
• To identify a suitable supply chain of material that met the specific technical requirements for the application. 

Key deliverables

• The initial phase of the project focused on raw material selection and verification.  
• The project then ran a series of production tests to establish both processability of the material and quality of the finished parts.  
• The final stage of the project involved in field evaluation of the parts by a major Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

Impact

This supply chain trial demonstrated that, for this application, virgin materials could be successfully replaced with 100% recycled materials. 

The recycled materials processed well and had a like-for-like appearance compared to their virgin equivalent even at the 100% substitution rate. Establishing a supply of quality material was key to this project as the long-term consistency in material quality is crucial for its continued success. 

An additional impact was that following the excellent performance of the recycled material, Advantage Automotive extended the use of the material to their other product ranges.

^{*A tier 1 supplier can supply directly to the Original Equipment Manufacturer without going through other suppliers.}

DEEP DIVE: Increasing recycled content in Tarmac packaging

Problem

A significant opportunity was identified to support two of the UK Plastics Pact targets by increasing recycled content within aggregate bags and collecting used bags to create a circular supply chain. Previously, these bags were made from 50% virgin plastics and commonly incinerated or disposed of in landfill at end of use.  

Solution

WRAP Cymru’s lead partner based in Wales, Resilience Sustainable Solutions, worked in collaboration with Tarmac, to deliver the trial and a long-term solution to this challenge.

Project aims

• To achieve a reduction in carbon emissions by replacing virgin plastic with recyclate.  
• To increase post-consumer recycled content in packaging from 50% to 90% using a ‘jazz’ non-clear pellet.  

Key deliverables

• Phase 1: Planning and Mobilisation (November 2022 – March 2023)  
• Phase 2: Product Manufacture (April 2023 – March 2024)  
• Phase 3: Circular Economy: Incentivised Collection and Logistics (July – September 2024).

Impact

This project helped Tarmac to increase their use of recycled content to 90% by helping them to test alternative, post-consumer recyclate. This resulted in substantial costs savings of 8-10% and carbon savings of 36% per tonne of plastic used.

DEEP DIVE: Manufacture of plastic/fibre composites from Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) and Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) rejects

Problem

Whilst there is limited data on how much recycled material is used by the manufacturing sector, it is considered to be a very low percentage, due to barriers including quality, consistency and technical innovation in recycling.

Solution

WRAP Cymru’s lead partner Nextek Ltd managed this project and worked together with recyclers including MBA Polymers Ltd, Fiberight Ltd* and Ecodek, a manufacturer of sustainable composite decking, to introduce new material choices.

Project aims

• To incorporate and save plastic materials from waste streams that would have been sent to landfill or waste to energy.  
• To replace up to 30% of the final composition with the composites reformulated from ‘waste’ materials.

Key deliverables

• To characterise the MBA Polymer process and identify the composition of material streams that are ending up in landfill or incineration.
• Focusing on pre-treatment and material preparation as a critical process with the low value waste streams that have been the target of this project.
• Using the formulated materials as infeed to a continuous production process to manufacture extruded products.

Impact

The by-products from the ASR recycling process and the MRF film rejects were turned into high-performance decking at Ecodek and analysed against existing products and standards. 

This trial provided strong evidence to policy makers that this approach can be used as a model for wider parts of Welsh industries. It creates a paradigm shift in the current mindset around new product development and the resources that can be used and re-used to manufacture high-quality products with economic and environmental advantages.  

^{*Fiberight Ltd ceased business in 2024.}