In June 2021, Aura implemented the first-ever livery PVC recycling programme in the UK. The brand-new programme involves the recycling of PVC vinyl and waste from livery wraps, saving it from ending up in landfill or incineration. A major milestone in branding!
Aura consistently challenge our suppliers to develop sustainable solutions, so when our suppliers, Metamark, came to us with the first recyclable self-adhesive PVC vinyl, we were delighted! After exploring the idea, we took it to DPD as we knew it would be ideal for our upcoming project.
DPD are long-standing clients of Aura, and we were excited to partner with them on this brand-new initiative which allows us to collectively reduce our environmental impact. As a result, all vinyl waste from their fleet installations is now able to be recycled. The high-performance film used on the project is recyclable at each stage of the brand life cycle, from manufacture to application to decommission - making it a zero to landfill solution.
The project consisted of decommissioning and rebranding existing DPD vehicles and wrapping their new fully electric fleet as part of their 25-25-25 strategy, which aims to deliver zero emissions over 25 cities by 2025, covering 25% of the UK population - a testament to their commitment to sustainability.
DPD are a zero to landfill company so giving them the opportunity to be zero to landfill with contractors, such as Aura who are also zero to landfill, was a great sustainability achievement. Knowing that we had mutual sustainability goals in mind, we were sure DPD would be keen to participate in this brand-new initiative.
After agreeing on the terms of the project, we took responsibility for all logistical aspects of the recycling programme. This included liaising with DPD and recycling centres to effectively coordinate each stage of the process. We organised the PVC waste collection, across two separate sites at no extra cost to DPD. All liner is stored in cages by us at each site, ready for collection - one for electric van builds and one for trailer applications. The liner is then collected and transported to the recycling centre where it is processed.
The project has been a resounding success! By using the first recyclable, self-adhesive vinyl solution in the UK, we were able to collect and recycle 200kg of PVC waste from our factory and over 7 tonnes of backing paper waste across the installation sites.
In 2022 we will collect over 2 tonnes of backing paper from a new build project consisting of 1400 vehicles with a further decommissioning opportunity, resulting in over 20 tonnes of secondary waste.
As a result, all waste from the project is recycled and will create further quality products that can also be recycled, creating a sustainable lifecycle. By collaborating with suppliers, clients, and the local community, we have achieved zero waste to landfill for the first time in 2021 and are working toward offsetting our carbon footprint to net-zero by 2030.
With the project continuing into 2022, we aim to explore further recycling possibilities across future projects with more of our customers. This was a phenomenal project to set in motion and demonstrates our commitment to innovation and sustainability going forward.
