#Leeways Packaging Services Ltd, which produces #recyclable plastic #trays for food manufacturers across the UK, has invested in the installation of a new 130,680 square foot #solar panel system – one of the largest in the region.
The new eco friendly solar panels, which sit next to the company’s headquarters in Churcham, Gloucestershire, will generate up to 25% of the business’s power, as well provide a more cost efficient energy system and save an estimated 210 tonnes of carbon a year.
The third generation business is run by brothers Adam and Lee Walding, after being founded by their grandfather in 1971. The company manufactures up to 500 million plastic trays every year, which are 100% recyclable and made from more than 85% recycled materials. As part of Leeways’ commitment to sustainability, the business also recycles all waste on site.
Adam Walding, director of Leeways Packaging Services, said: ‘We are passionate about sustainability and making sure the impact we have on the environment is as limited as possible. The new solar panel system is a key part of our Sustainability Pledge; our commitment to making ongoing changes which reduce the carbon footprint of our business and products, and lead the way in an industry under immense media and political pressure.
‘As such, we have also made a £2.5 million investment in the latest energy efficient machinery and working in partnership with our customers, we have reduced the use of hard to recycle materials in our products by 50 tonnes per annum and are well on our way to increasing this to 500 tonnes per annum. We are also committed to the use of rPET – recycled polyethylene terephthalate – in a bid to move towards a closed loop system which uses recycled plastics to create new, recyclable plastic packaging.’
With some 130 employees across three sites in Gloucestershire, Leeways has been offering bespoke plastic packaging solutions to manufacturers across the UK since 1971.