Nederman UK has published a report suggesting that British manufacturers are losing millions of pounds through inefficient metal recycling.
The ‘What a Waste’ report published today (8 June) by Nederman UK, a provider of environmental technology products and services, focuses on the inefficiencies of recycling high-value metals in metal machining manufacturers in order to “quantify how much money UK manufacturing is potentially wasting”.
The report suggests that UK manufacturing businesses are losing between £172 to £609 on every tonne of metal waste they recycle due to a lack of efficient recycling practices that could add up to millions of pounds in lost profit. The report argues that by recycling metal using in-house systems, manufacturers could see sizeable environmental and financial savings through reduced energy costs, reduced transport and reduced machine downtime.
Nick Dulley, Nederman UK’s Machining Business Manager explains: “Companies need to appreciate that recycling in itself is not enough to maximise profitability and reduce industry’s carbon footprint. By handing over unprocessed metal waste to recycling companies they are potentially handing over a significant amount of their potential profits as well as failing to minimise their environmental impact”, said Dulley. “By improving the efficiency of their recycling processes, [businesses] can achieve a much higher price for the metal swarf they produce as well as reclaiming valuable coolants and cutting their transport costs.”
Using five ‘typical’ models of UK manufacturers: car engine plant, aerospace component manufacturer, steel machine tools manufacturer, aluminium furniture and brass door hardware manufacturers, the report not only estimates that each sector would see increased profitability, but in the case of the aluminium furniture manufacturer, could see over £4 million profit.
Using sector figures from the Office of National Statistics, the report goes on to conclude that if these results were applied across the entire UK for these sectors, the automotive industry could earn an extra £6 million, aerospace an extra £26.6 million, machine tools an extra £162.1 million and door hardware an extra £198.1 million. Figures for nationwide aluminium furniture market were unavailable due to lack of data.
The full report is available to read from the Nederman website.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.