Ahead of a tax on plastic being introduced in April, Washington based PFF Packaging Group is creating sustainable food packaging solutions which help their clients to achieve their sustainability goals and limit their exposure to the new tax
PFF Group is one of the UK’s largest independent food packaging manufacturers, supplying innovative packaging solutions to supermarkets and multi-national food manufacturers.
The company employs 150 staff across its North East and West Yorkshire sites.
Under the leadership of group managing director Kenton Robbins, PFF, a long term advocate of reducing single use plastic, drives engagement with consumers, industry and government about the use of plastic and how it can be reduced as he believes this is fundamental to the industry’s future.
Sustainability is a core company value and PFF’s championing of sustainable packaging solutions has seen the company invest heavily in technology and systems to support this.
Recent investments have included £200,000 in new transformer technology to reduce PFF’s carbon emissions by 5%, as well as the launch of a ground-breaking, fully recyclable packaging product (IMPAC-T) which uses less plastic than equivalent PET packaging and is suitable for all food applications.
Kenton said: “We place great importance on using resources efficiently and these latest investments demonstrate that we take our carbon reduction commitments and sustainability targets very seriously.
“The tax on packaging containing less than 30% recycled content comes into effect in April. Products under that threshold will be taxed at £200 per tonne. Together with our customers, we are keen to embrace net-zero targets and are working to reduce overall plastic in packaging by engineering some of it out of products.
“However, plastics continue to play a vital role in food packaging. Our objective is to produce packaging that delivers the most sustainable solution when accounting for whole life costs – from production to transportation emissions, food waste and recyclability.”
PFF’s commitment to the environment is recognised by Operation Clean Sweep – an international initiative that aims to ensure that plastics do not end up in waterways – and by membership of the NEXTLOOPP global initiative, helping deliver the world’s first commercially available, recycled highquality polypropylene (FGrPP).
During the pandemic, PFF used its sector expertise to meet the increased global demand for PPE. A new health division was set up at PFF’s Washington site with an investment of £2 million to produce 360m disposable polythene aprons for frontline NHS and healthcare workers.
Michael Gove MP praised the company as: ‘savvy, smart businesspeople’ who ‘adapted their business models to help this country … it (PFF) exemplifies the best of British’.
Such calculated risk taking is helping PFF to achieve its growth ambitions. As well as exploring further opportunities in healthcare, the company has just acquired Sedgefieldbased Sirap UK, a leading producer and supplier of thermoformed rigid plastic food packaging to the British market.
The acquisition increases PFF’s brand share of the UK thermoforming sector and creates the opportunity to manufacture a wider variety of products to a broader customer base, creating a new chapter for the business which Kenton is confident will deliver PFF’s strategic ambitions.
Kenton Robbins, managing director at PFF Group
