Encirc railhead reduces road miles and carbon emissions

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Encirc receives the Glass Focus Award for Sustainable practice, sponsored by KiWi Power

Encirc’s £6 million investment in an onsite railhead at its Elton site has won this year’s Glass Focus Award for Sustainable Practice – sponsored by KiWi Power. Enabling delivery of raw materials directly to the site by train is saving millions of road miles and reducing carbon emissions for Encirc and its customers’ supply chains.

Organised by British Glass and supported by Glass Worldwide – the annual Glass Focus Awards showcase innovation and excellence across the glass industry. This year’s award ceremony and dinner were held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

Sustainable Practice was one of seven awards made at the black-tie ceremony. This category looks for practical examples of glass sector organisations achieving environmental improvement in a way that contributes to productivity, efficiency or competitiveness. Entries included a range of initiates addressing materials, energy, emissions and waste.

Encirc won the award for its £6 million onsite railhead investment at Elton – which is already enabling delivery of around 50% of raw materials directly to the site by train, saving millions of road miles each year and reducing CO2 emissions by around 800,000 tonnes.

Encirc has continuously explored the entire lifecycle of its bottles to help its products, customers and supply chains to minimise their environmental footprint. The railhead project is among a series of substantial steps the company has taken to be one of the most sustainable glass manufacturers in the world.

As well as the sheer number of vehicles Encirc has taken off the country’s roads by bringing this disused railhead back into use for raw materials – the judges were impressed by the potential for ongoing reduction in carbon emissions as the proportion and types of materials coming in this way increases.

The Sustainable Practice award was sponsored by KiWi Power Ltd – a leading demand response aggregator. They have been securing their clients revenue since 2009. helping the UK transition to a greener, more efficient, low-carbon future.

Fiacre O’Donnell, head of strategic development at Encirc, commented:

“Sustainability is an integral part of our business strategy. To receive the Sustainable Practice award is certainly a reflection of the hard work carried out by everyone across the business to help us minimise our impact on the environment." 

Jack Christie, KiWi Power senior business development Executive, said:

“We are proud to sponsor the Glass Focus Award for Sustainable Practice, rewarding both environmental action and business excellence. Being a company that sees environmental consciousness, diligence and action as paramount in the modern world it was a privilege to present this award to Encirc, a company that shares our values." 

Jenni Richards, senior environmental adviser at British Glass said:

“Congratulations to Encirc on winning the Sustainable Practice Award – it’s always great to see glass companies looking at every aspect of their business to achieve environmental improvement. Ensuring the UK glass industry is sustainable and competitive into the future remains a key priority for British Glass. Through our Energy and Environment Committee we’re bringing together companies from across our sector to pursue technical innovation, partnerships and policies to realise environmental improvement.”

Find about the other winners.

 

​Notes

British Glass is the industry’s representative body – providing insight, intelligence and leadership. It works with all parts of the supply chain to ensure that glass manufacturing, particularly in the UK, has the resources, influence and skills to remain commercially successful, innovative and sustainable.
 

The Glass Focus Awards are an annual event organised by British Glass and supported by Glass Worldwide. Each year the awards recognise and celebrate excellence across the glass industry. 

Encirc provides container glass manufacturing, filling and logistics. It operates from sites in Elton, Cheshire and Derrylin in Northern Ireland. www.encirc360.com