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Luxus Gains EuCertPlast Accreditation For Good Practice

Technical knowledge based plastics compounder and recycler Luxus has received accreditation from EuCertPlast www.eucertplast.eu, the European wide scheme that provides a common standard for post-consumer plastics recycling.

EuCertPlast certification works to the European standard EN 15343: 2007 and accesses both the practice and quality of output from audited recyclers. The scheme aims to encourage environmentally friendly plastics recycling process by standardising it.

Prior to its implementation, the plastics market was very fragmented with each individual European collector association following their own rules, so there was no common standard for recyclers to follow.

This certification not only seeks to increase the transparency of the European plastics industry by integrating these varying auditing schemes into one common standard, but it also aims to determine the best recycling and trading practices too.

The overall goals of the scheme include: - an increase in recycling rates; the development of new innovative applications for recyclates; increased transparency and the fulfilment of REACH requirements for recyclers.

Simon Thompson, quality manager, Luxus, explains: “This scheme recognises recyclers such as ourselves for operating to the highest standards and implementing best practices. But it also gives our customers the confidence that when specifying recycled materials they are fully traceable and of the highest quality.

“So we fully support EuCertPlast and the operating standards it requires, since it helps drive up the quality of recyclates, increasing market demand and enabling the creation of new more sustainable applications.”

The standards and requirements that are examined for EuCertPlast certification are also on the check list when applying for the well-known Blue Angel Eco-Label that awards environmentally friendly products and services.

For more information visit www.luxus.co.uk

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Odour Contaminated Plastics Get 'Second Life' Thanks To Innovate UK Grant

Technical knowledge based plastics compounder Luxus has as part of a consortium won an £840,462 Innovate UK grant to develop a novel process to remove retained odour from post-consumer recycled plastics.
 
The aim of this new 30 month research and development project known as Odour Control, is to employ unique process technologies to deliver high value ‘second life’ applications for odour contaminated plastics, that would otherwise only be adopted for limited low value markets.
 
Luxus will lead the project in collaboration with its partners the University of Lincoln to provide a ‘test house’ to identify and quantify odour species, Matrix Moulding Systems will help develop the processing system design and injection moulding company, One 51 will produce the finished parts.
 
Recycled plastics have a ‘scent memory’ from contact with heavily perfumed detergents or food that creates quality issues inhibiting further use. Although some progress has been made to recycle easier post-production waste streams, the recycling of post-consumer polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) still presents a major challenge.
 
Currently, under 1% of the UK’s 260,000 tonnes of post-consumer polypropylene waste is effectively recycled into high quality products, the rest is used in lower value applications or worse still, left for landfill.
 
Luxus project manager, Chris Kerridge, comments: “We are pleased that Innovate UK has recognised the importance of developing a process that will allow for the cost efficient reprocessing of polymer that was previously uneconomic to recover due to retained odour.
 
“We aim to address this challenge by removing retained odour so the waste polymer can be reprocessed for use in high value products in the civil engineering, automotive, horticulture and detergent packaging industries, enabling manufacturers to satisfy sustainability goals.”
 
This project aims to create a prototype of the process, so Luxus technicians can gain an improved understanding of its ability to cope with the variability in the type and levels of odour compounds that occur in post-consumer polymer, to help underpin its future full scale commercial application.
 
Once proven this process will provide an economic retrofit solution that requires minimal process equipment modifications, so Luxus and the UK’s many technical plastics compounders who license the technology will benefit from improved competitiveness.
 
The cost effective exploitation of this waste stream presents therefore, a major opportunity to the recycling industry – the ability to divert 25,000 tonnes of waste polymer each year. This recycled material would replace virgin polymer, with an estimated net saving of 1 tonne of CO2 per tonne of polymer recovered.
 
Chris Kerridge, continues: “With Defra’s new Resources and Waste Strategy for England, there is also a major shift in focus now towards resources rather than wastes. The aim is to help manufacturers progress to a circular economy that keeps resources in use for longer, so the need for innovative solutions for the processing of odour contaminated plastics has never been greater.”
 
www.luxus.co.uk
 
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For further information please contact Sasha Stewart at Straight Talk PR – email: sasha@straighttalkpr.co.uk 
 
Luxus Ltd  (@Luxusltd)
UK leading independent technical plastics recycling and compounding company Luxus has been developing highly specified thermoplastics compounds based on prime and recycled feedstocks for over 50 years. Luxus is a key supplier to the major names in the global auto industry and it was the first and still is the only UK business to achieve approval for its recycled grades in car interior trims.
 
Luxus also offers specialist ‘closed loop’ and ‘open loop’ recycling services to manage ‘end of life’ post industrial and consumer waste for the retail transit packaging, construction and local authority wheel bin markets.
 
 
 

Luxus Is Shortlisted For Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2019

Technical knowledge based compounder and recycler Luxus has been shortlisted for the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe, for its development of a high performance
eco-positive polypropylene (PP) featured in the interior parts of the Nissan Micra K14.
 
The award will be announced on the 11th April 2019, during the second day of the Plastics Recycling Show Europe taking place at the RAI Amsterdam.

Developed with 50 per cent recycled content, this PP compound is the result of a collaboration with its client, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi. The aim was to engineer an eco-positive material to help lower the environmental impact of the Nissan Micra K14 to help achieve zero landfill objectives, while still delivering outstanding properties.
 
Terry Burton, technical manager, Luxus, comments: “We are pleased that our entry for the automotive category has been shortlisted. It recognises the advanced technical thermoplastics engineering that has enabled the development of a product where sustainability demands have been met without any sacrifice in physical property performance.”
 
To satisfy the auto manufacturer’s stringent material requirements, this highly engineered PP compound needed to be lightweight with improved characteristics such as greater fuel efficiencies, lower CO2 emissions and good impact resistance; while still delivering a high scratch-resistant surface finish.
 
This success is just one example of how Luxus thermoplastics innovation is helping achieve environmental goals and differentiation, to deliver competitive advantage to global OEM’s as they make the transition from a linear (make-take-dispose) to a circular economy.
 
For more information on the awards visit: http://bit.ly/PRAE-2019  and for Luxus automotive thermoplastics please visit: www.luxus.co.uk or twitter @LuxusLtd

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For further information please contact: Sasha Stewart, Straight Talk PR, tel: 07764 346 896 or email: sasha@straighttalkpr.co.uk

Luxus Ltd (www.luxus.co.uk)
UK leading independent technical plastics recycling and compounding company Luxus has been developing highly specified thermoplastics compounds based on prime and recycled feedstocks for over 50 years. Luxus is a key supplier to the major names in the global auto industry and it was the first and still is the only UK business to achieve approval for its recycled grades in car interior trims.
 
Luxus also offers specialist ‘closed loop’ and ‘open loop’ recycling services to manage ‘end of life’ post industrial and consumer waste for the retail transit packaging, construction and local authority wheel bin markets.
 
 
 

New Appointment Helps Luxus Drive Automotive Industry Growth

Technical knowledge based compounder and recycler Luxus has appointed a new Business Development Manager to satisfy growing demand from the global automotive ‘A’ Class interior trim market for its high performance environmentally positive polymers.
 
Alistair Barber joined Luxus this month and is responsible for delivering new sales growth in Europe and managing the company’s major name automotive clients that include: - Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, BMW, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Honda.
 
After having spent almost a decade in business development roles, Alistair Barber brings with him an excellent track record for sales performance. As a Key Account Manager for his previous employer, a Louth based lighting company, he was responsible for increasing revenue month on month for what had been an under-performing geographical region for the company.
 
Prior to this he worked in the finance sector initially with a major UK high street bank before progressing to a mortgage advisor role based in Dubai that provided an insight into global markets. It was in this position that he successfully increased business levels to the extent that he generated 30% of the company’s turnover for the year.
 
It was Alistair Barber’s understanding of the technical aspects of selling gained mostly in his finance sector years that will provide the transferable skills required for his new role in the polymer industry.
 
Luxus managing director, Peter Atterby comments: “We are pleased to appoint Alistair Barber to this strategic role with his proven business development expertise, at a time when the automotive industry’s demand for high performance recycled content polymers to replace virgin grades has never been greater.

“For over 20 years Luxus has been at the very forefront of sustainable polymer development that has contributed to lowering the environmental impact of vehicles, while still delivering outstanding mechanical properties as manufacturers make the transition from a linear to a circular economy.”
 
This latest appointment follows the announcement last month that Luxus made a £1.5m investment in a new compounding line to support future growth in its core markets including the automotive interior trim sector, increasing its annual polymer compound production capacity to 55,000 tonnes.
 
Commenting on his appointment, Alistair Barber, said: “Luxus is a major employer in Louth with a strong history and excellent reputation for sustainable polymer innovation. With plastics having been in the ‘spotlight’ for much of last year, it’s great to see recycled content materials helping to make positive change by becoming the preferred choice for global OEMs.”
 
For more information on Luxus visit: www.luxus.co.uk or twitter @LuxusLtd
 
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For further information please contact: Sasha Stewart, Straight Talk PR, tel: 07764 346 896 or email: sasha@straighttalkpr.co.uk
Luxus Ltd (www.luxus.co.uk)

UK leading independent technical plastics recycling and compounding company Luxus has been developing highly specified thermoplastics compounds based on prime and recycled feedstocks for over 50 years. Luxus is a key supplier to the major names in the global auto industry and it was the first and still is the only UK business to achieve approval for its recycled grades in car interior trims.

Luxus also offers specialist ‘closed loop’ and ‘open loop’ recycling services to manage ‘end of life’ post industrial and consumer waste for the retail transit packaging, construction and local authority wheel bin markets.
 
 

Luxus Invests In A New £1.5m Compounding Line
 
Technical knowledge-based compounder and recycler Luxus, has installed a new £1.5m compounding line at its manufacturing facility based in Louth, Lincolnshire.

As the UK’s largest independently owned producer of recycled and prime polymers, this latest investment supports its continued growth strategy, increasing its overall production capacity by 22 per cent.

Responsible for the manufacture of more than 45,000 tonnes of highly engineered thermoplastic compounds annually to both domestic and global markets, this new compounding line will enable Luxus to create an additional 10,000 tonnes.

This major strategic investment has been made in response to the ever-increasing demand from clients for faster processing time scales and greater output, while still delivering the very highest quality technical compounds.

Peter Atterby, managing director, Luxus, comments: “We are committed to producing high performance, yet sustainable compounds able to meet the demanding service and long-life requirements of rapidly growing sectors including, returnable transit packaging and civil engineering.

“Orders have increased for some time so we required new equipment to enhance our infrastructure by supporting this demand, particularly for the development of polymer formulations for the progressively high-end colour specifications in these markets.”

Since Luxus works with materials from increasingly complex waste streams to help meet clients’ zero landfill goals, the compounding line will help satisfy these demands. It will deliver material process improvements that include, better devolitisation through increased surface renewal and filtration to produce innovative sustainable polymers that are now much closer to prime.

This latest investment will help to secure the manufacturer’s future growth and will continue its tradition of innovation in the development of sustainable plastics.

For more information visit www.luxus.co.uk

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Notes to editor

For further information please contact: Sasha Stewart, Straight Talk PR, tel: 07764 346 896 or email: sasha@straighttalkpr.co.uk

Luxus Ltd (www.luxus.co.uk)

UK leading independent technical plastics recycling and compounding company Luxus has been developing highly specified thermoplastics compounds based on prime and recycled feedstocks for 50 years. Luxus is a key supplier to the major names in the global auto industry and it was the first and still is the only UK business to achieve approval for its recycled grades in car interior trims.

 Luxus also offers specialist ‘closed loop’ and ‘open loop’ recycling services to manage ‘end of life’ post industrial and consumer waste for the retail transit packaging, construction and local authority wheel bin markets.

 

Plastic Is Fantastic For Peter Laking As He Celebrates 50 Years With Luxus
Peter Laking is celebrating one of the longest careers with Louth based technical plastics recycler and compounder Luxus – an incredible 50 years’ service!

In 1968 the Beatles single ‘Hey Jude’ was topping the charts and the Ford Escort had just replaced the Anglia, Peter Laking started his career as a factory worker with Luxus. The firm had just seven employees when Peter joined, who were all on first name terms at the time.

This burgeoning plastics recycling business was recovering unwanted waste plastic and re-engineering material that would have otherwise been destined for landfill. Plastics recycling was a new industry in the late-1960s, the mantra ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ has only just gained in popularity, it was the start of a new sustainable ethos.

Peter Laking describes what it was like to work at Luxus in 1968, “The work was very hands on at the time, one of my very first jobs was working on a granulation machine grinding polystyrene shoe heels and then bagging the reground polystyrene from an auger.

“There were no forklift trucks then, so we took each polystyrene filled bag off the machine, weighed it, (around 56 lbs), then fitted a wire tie around it like you would a potato sack, so it could then be carried over your shoulder to be stacked in piles, five bags in a layer, eight bags high - a total of 40 weighing a tonne!

“In my generation, once you found employment you didn’t think the ‘grass was always greener’ somewhere else. If you liked the people, the job prospects and the money you just gone on with it. The opportunities for growth were great, as they still are today for young people wanting to join the industry.”

In the late 1970’s when Luxus purchased its first lorry, Peter became a HGV driver helping with deliveries, but his real passion was fixing things. So when Luxus’ new factory was built in 1982 he helped to install and maintain its new machinery. His career was also supported with practical training so he learnt how to weld, turn metal on a lathe and acquire other new engineering skills too.

He was later promoted to assistant factory manager in the firm’s plastics compounding division as well as running a small engineering team. Then in the early 1990’s Luxus purchased a new recycling factory also on Belvoir Way in the Fairfield Industrial Estate, Louth where he became factory manager while still managing his now rapidly growing team.

Five decades later having ‘out-careered’ the Beatles he is still working for Luxus as a Maintenance and Project Engineering Manager. He not only manages his engineering team, but is constantly found re-engineering machinery to help provide bespoke solutions where needed to facilitate the smooth running of its technical recycling facility.

Even when he went on holiday some years ago, plastics were never far away in Peter’s thoughts, while eating dinner out with friends he got bored so he decided to burn the plastic knives and forks to entertain them by being able to recognise the exact plastic type simply from its smell and the way it bends. As it wasn’t the first time, his friends decided to reward him his very own ‘plastic is fantastic’ t-shirt.

Luxus managing director, Peter Atterby, comments: “Throughout his 50 year career, Peter’s support has been instrumental to our growth every step of the way, from a burgeoning plastics recycler to a UK leading technical innovator at the very forefront of numerous markets.

“Not only is Peter’s knowledge of plastics recycling second to none, he also has an energy that leaves younger men trailing behind breathless. As we move into a new era, with demand for sustainable polymers is an urgent priority for many producers, Peter is sharing his 50 years of expertise with the next generation of plastics pioneers – he is true asset!”

Luxus today is a £25m turnover business operating in global markets and is still fulfilling the same vision set in the 1960’s by its founder Ron Tonn, for a better, more sustainable future.

Interested in a career in sustainable plastics? Visit www.luxus.co.uk

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Notes to editors
For further information please contact: Sasha Stewart, Straight Talk PR, tel: 07764 346 896 or email: sasha@straighttalkpr.co.uk
Luxus Ltd (www.luxus.co.uk)

UK leading independent technical plastics recycling and compounding company Luxus has been developing highly specified thermoplastics compounds based on prime and recycled feedstocks for 50 years. Luxus is a key supplier to the major names in the global auto industry and it was the first and still is the only UK business to achieve approval for its recycled grades in car interior trims.

Luxus also offers specialist ‘closed loop’ and ‘open loop’ recycling services to manage ‘end of life’ post industrial and consumer waste for the retail transit packaging, construction and local authority wheel bin markets.