Forterra making a material contribution to net-zero future

Textile and PPE recycling programme rolled out across all Forterra manufacturing facilities

FOLLOWING a successful trial at Forterra’s Kings Dyke site, Avena’s textile and PPE recycling programme has been rolled out at all 17 of Forterra’s manufacturing facilities, with non-site-based staff able to utilize the recycling facilities at the site most convenient to them.

Avena’s 0% landfill policy provides a sustainable end-of-life process for all textiles and PPE, and as the only company in the UK to offer shredding as an alternative to incineration and landfill, Forterra say they are the perfect choice to align with.

Through the programme, the company’s old uniforms and PPE will be recycled in the most effective way. This will include the material being reused, turned into insulation, or made into chips for energy generation.

David Manley, Forterra’s head of sustainability, said: ‘As a business, we’re looking into every aspect of our operations to work more sustainably, from our manufacturing processes to our energy sources. We have set ambitious ESG targets to reduce our carbon emissions by a further 32% by 2030, and I’m very proud that we’re on our way to achieving them.

‘Some 350,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill each year, and we’re delighted that Forterra will no longer be contributing to this figure.’

The textile recycling programme follows a series of other significant sustainability measures announced by Forterra, including a solar farm that will supply 70% of the company’s electricity needs by 2025, a reduction in single-use plastic used to wrap products, the use of HVO (biodiesel) fuel to power all mobile machinery at Forterra’s Measham facility, and a £21 million investment in the company’s haulage fleet.