Page 82 - Glass Machinery Plants & Accessories no. 3-2021

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Company overview

“All these investments are in ENERGY CHALLENGES glass industry to decarbonise is
addition to the GBP 1M we spent The price of energy, exacer- also high on the company’s agen-
last year on our recycling plant,” bated by the crisis in Ukraine, da. Indeed glass manufacturers
Pike clarified. “We installed addi- is the biggest challenge facing are working together -as an indus-
tional optical sorters, vibratory Beatson Clark in 2022. “Energy try- to develop new, improved and
feeder conveyors, new screening price increases across the supply more sustainable technology, a
machines, a new JCB telehandler chain are our biggest challenge move reflected by projects such as
and a 300 m2 canopy to protect and we are continually lobbying Glass Futures, which is the new
infeed material from the elements. the Government to find ways to global centre of excellence at St
As a result, throughput is expect- remedy the situation,” said Pike. Helen’s. Here Beatson Clark will
ed to increase over the year by an She added that the need for the require better infrastructure and
average of 50 percent.” an affordable energy supply to
succeed in its ambition to signifi-
cantly reduce the glass industry’s
carbon footprint.
DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME
Pike said Beatson Clark wel-
comes the Government’s recent
decision to exclude glass from
the Deposit Return Scheme in
England and Northern Ireland.
“There’s already an excellent
process in place in the UK with
kerbside and bottle banks. With 76
percent of glass already collected in
Europe, glass is the leading packag-
ing material for recycling rates and
the industry has a target to increase
this to 90 percent by 2030.”

80 GMP&A 3/2022