LINPAC has announced it will be internally recycling 98% of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) waste at its Pontivy site.
The remaining 2% will be sold on to external customers for use in the manufacture of rigid and flexible products such as pipes, cables, shoe soles, and car mats.
In addition, fumes created as a by-product of manufacturing processes will be captured and condensed for use as plasticisers, which are then used as additives to improve the plasticity properties of materials in products, such as garden hoses.
Purchasing Manager Didier Le Toquin commented: "The ability to reuse waste PVC and fumes generated in our manufacturing processes is of great environmental significance. Materials that may have ended up in landfill, or polluting the atmosphere, can now be used to create new products with a useful service life."
LINPAC recycled 227tn of PVC waste in 2016, including 42tn of plasticisers, which were reused externally. However, the recycling of PVC is not a new concept to the company. Over the last 10 years, LINPAC has recycled more than 3,000tn of PVC waste at its Pontivy site, which was all sold on for reuse.
Mr Le Toquin added: "LINPAC is committed to supporting the drive towards a circular economy in all our manufacturing practices. What’s particularly pleasing about this process is the positive impact it has on a wide number of sectors. Contrary to common misconceptions, it’s not a certainty that plastic should be harmful to the environment when it can in fact be infinitely useful."