The newly reconstituted Faraday Plastics, the UK’s plastics research and development centre, has produced a technology road map for low-energy polymer processing that aims to catalyse tbe plastics and rubber industry into measuring its energy-use performance and changing it for the better.
Faraday Plastics director Richard Simpson notes that “this is the beginning – not the end – of a very important debate that needs to happen within the plastics and rubber sector on energy -processing.
“Not only does the practice make commercial and competitive sense but energy efficiency is also desirable on environmental and health and safety grounds.
“Issues such as the climate change levy have put polymer processors more into the ‘front line’, and have politicised these issues to some degree. The good news is that moulders who save their own costs through lower energy bills are also making a positive contribution to the environmental health and credentials of their industry.
“I urge all involved in processing to read our Technology Road Map report and to help us help the sector in implementing its findings.”
The new Faraday Plastics business plan was agreed in spring of this year, ensuring further DTI funding for the next three years.
Faraday Plastics has selected a number of priority areas for the next three years. These are energy, recycling and sustainability, nano and smart materials, healthcare and automotive applications.
The new technology road map on low-energy polymer processing is available free of charge on application to Faraday Plastics. Further details are available from Richard Simpson.