SFS

Reconomy Connect, a Reconomy specialist brand, partnered with SFS Group Fastening Technology to replace costly bubble wrap with a fully closed-loop packaging alternative, made from the company’s own cardboard waste.

By repurposing the cardboard already being managed on site and sourcing the right machine to shred it, Reconomy Connect helped SFS eradicate its bubble wrap spend, increase recycling and reuse, and reduce its carbon impact.

• Problem: SFS used bubble wrap to protect its deliveries, an unsustainable material that cannot be broken down naturally and cost the sites £6,000 per annum to source.
• Solution: Reconomy Connect identified a closed-loop approach, repurposing SFS’s on-site cardboard waste as packaging, and sourced and set up the Profipak 425 cardboard corrugator over a two-week trial.
• Result: Around 1.5 tonnes of cardboard shredded in two months, bubble wrap expenditure eradicated, and fewer cardboard skip exchanges reducing carbon impact on site.

Key results

• Around 1.5 tonnes of cardboard: since rollout, SFS has ordered only one cardboard exchange, meaning it has shredded around 1.5 tonnes of cardboard in two months.
• Set-up of the Profipak 425 cardboard corrugator: using its account management expertise, Reconomy Connect supported the identification and set-up of the Profipak 425 cardboard corrugator over a two-week trial period.
• £6,000 per annum spend addressed: Reconomy Connect was tasked with reducing the high expenditure, with the sites spending £6,000 per annum at the time to source bubble wrap.

About SFS

SFS’s Construction Division is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of carbon and stainless-steel fastening solutions for roofing, cladding, and façade systems. As part of its sustainability initiatives, the Leeds and Welwyn Garden City sites sought out the expertise of a national full-service waste and recycling operator.

Since 2017, all waste services at SFS Group Fastening Technology Ltd have been managed by Reconomy Connect. With zero waste to landfill the standard, SFS was confident in Reconomy Connect’s ability to help achieve its wider sustainability ambitions. Eager to develop further sustainable initiatives and turn waste into resources, SFS recognised it was necessary to adopt alternatives to its packaging.

The challenge

The standard SFS procedure for protective packaging was to use bubble wrap to safely deliver its materials to customers. There was a desire to move to a more sustainable alternative to reduce the impact on the environment, given bubble wrap’s inability to be broken down by natural organisms.

In addition to its environmental effects, it carried a high expenditure, with the sites spending £6,000 per annum to source it. Reconomy Connect explored alternatives to find an innovative solution that would significantly increase recycling and reuse opportunities.

The solution

Reconomy Connect analysed and identified an approach that would offer a fully closed-loop solution. By utilising the cardboard skips that SFS already had on site, and which Reconomy Connect managed as part of the overall waste management partnership, the cardboard waste could instead be used as a packaging alternative that was also fully recyclable for the customer.

Thanks to its extensive supply chain, Reconomy Connect was able to source the best machine, both operationally and commercially, to shred the cardboard ready for SFS to use for its packaging. Communication was critical during this period, as there was a vast range of different machines of different sizes and operational capabilities. It was also vital that the material could withstand a range of product weights, with the priority being to ensure all products arrive with customers safely.

Using its account management expertise, Reconomy Connect supported the identification and set-up of the Profipak 425 cardboard corrugator over a two-week trial period.

The results

After the successful trial, SFS introduced the cardboard corrugator in March 2022. Since rollout, it has eradicated the expenditure on bubble wrap within the business. SFS has ordered only one cardboard exchange, meaning it has shredded around 1.5 tonnes of cardboard in two months. It has also seen a reduction in the number of cardboard skips used on site, which has in turn reduced the customer carbon impact, with fewer exchanges taking place.