Silvergate Plastics Signs Climate Change Agreement

05/03/16

In early 2014, Silvergate Plastics had its application approved by the UK Government’s Environment Agency to join the Climate Change Agreement (CCA) for the Plastics Sector.

CCAs are voluntary agreements, which contain targets to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. They form part of a package of UK government measures that respond to the challenges of climate change, whilst helping industry to remain internationally competitive. As part of the Agreement, companies also have to commit to agreed levels of energy reductions over discrete two year periods until 2020.

Steve Swygart, Silvergate’s Compliance Manager, said:

“The rewards for adopting lean manufacturing principles in the past, and the investment made in new manufacturing technology to maintain our incredibly short lead-time delivery promises, can now be seen in another sphere. I was grateful to Yolanda Starkie (the British Plastics Federation’s CCA Administration Manager for handling applications to the EA) for guidance throughout the application process.”

The CCA is based around the Specific Energy Calculation of a company’s manufacturing process; this is the amount of electricity (in kWhr) it takes to make each kilogramme of finished product. The Plastics Sector CCA is typically looking for a figure of 3.0 kWhr/kg, as its threshold limit into the scheme. Silvergate is currently operating around the 2.0 kWhr/kg mark, meaning that Silvergate is currently working in advance of its ultimate target and already saving hundreds of tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere.

As well as Silvergate making market-leading delivery promises that competitors cannot offer, customers can be assured that it is not literally costing the earth in order to make their masterbatch!