King’s Lynn-based Southgate Global has developed a new product called PET Tape, made from 85% recycling plastic.
Head of marketing Darren Smith said its new product development team had worked on the new tape which is described as “ideal” to close standard and recycled cardboard boxes. Its reduced thickness means it uses more than a fifth less plastic than standard tapes, the company said.
“We are determined to continually invest in new product development, prioritising sustainability at every step. Over the past year, we have launched several new sustainable products as part of our mission to have an eco-friendly alternative for all our packaging products,” said Mr Smith.
“The launch of the new recycled PET Tape is just one of the ways we’re innovating to find alternatives to plastic. With the continued boom in e-commerce resulting in an increase in demand for packaging products, specifically those which are sustainable, we have been hard at work developing new innovations which meet this growing need without compromising on performance.”
A Plastic Packaging Tax is due to take effect from April. This will apply to plastic packaging produced in or imported into the UK which does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic, said the company.
The new PET Tape provides an alternative to businesses who may not want to make the switch from plastic entirely, it explained.
“2022 is set to be a year of sustainable innovation in the industry and we’re excited to play our part as we continue to work hard on new product development at Southgate,” said Mr Smith.
Southgate serves more than 600 distributors across the UK and Europe, with customers specialising in warehousing and logistics.
The fast-growing packaging equipment firm launched a major recruitment drive last year to boost its 72-strong workforce.
The company — established more than 50 years ago — provides a range of packaging equipment and consumables — many of which are sustainable. It started as a regional packaging supplier in the 1960s but is now thought to be Europe’s largest trade suppliers of machinery, equipment and consumables to the industrial packaging market.
