Page 140 - CFA_SG25

BUYERS’ GUIDE

F. BALL AND CO. LTD
Getting stuck into sustainability
F. BALL and Co. Ltd. is demonstrating a
commitment to environmental responsibility
through a sustainability strategy that extends
beyond compliance, with two key pillars being
its increasingly popular recycling scheme and
significant efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
The F. Ball Recycling Scheme provides
receptacles at wholesalers around the country
where empty recyclable F. Ball buckets and
bottles can be conveniently deposited by
flooring contractors for recycling, completely free
of charge.
The initiative, first introduced in 2019, has
been steadily expanded in response to a positive
reception from flooring contractors, and there are F. Ball has installed 17 vehicle charging points for both
now more than 40 recycling points at wholesaler company cars and employee vehicles
partners across the UK.
Last year, 23,000 buckets and 1,560kg of significant amount of the electricity supply. flood plain to reduce the risk of flooding.
bottles (approximately 12,000) were collected The company has recently doubled the
and recycled through the scheme, avoiding 13 amount of energy it generates from renewable Commitment to improvement
tonnes of plastic being sent to landfill. sources following further investments in solar F. Ball’s sustainability strategy involves not
This follows F. Ball introducing recyclable panels and now has over 1,700 solar panels standing still, but continually striving to achieve
packaging for its instantly recognisable yellow generating over a 500kw peak across its main ever-more challenging goals through continuous
bucket adhesives, as well as its five and 20 building and powder plant facility. It is estimated change, including looking for more ways to
litre plastic bottles used for liquids, primers that this prevents 59 tonnes of CO2 entering the reduce consumption of finite raw materials and
and tackifiers, with a minimum 30% of the new atmosphere each year. further reducing the business’s carbon footprint.
packaging itself manufactured from recycled This will involve formulating products with
materials. Factory and offices the aim of using fewer raw materials and making
Wider strategy F. Ball’s commitment to sustainability extends to them easier to recycle, as well as looking at
emerging renewables technology to find new
the design and operation of its buildings. The
The sustainability strategy of F. Ball goes facilities incorporate the latest energy-efficient ways of minimising the company’s energy
beyond the minimum required by law to limit technologies, including energy efficient LED consumption.
its environmental impact. It revolves around lighting, which is either connected to proximity Consultations with every person in the
reviewing the resources the company uses and sensors or programmed to turn off when not company have taken place through a series
its outputs, as well as making efforts to conserve required. of workshops in order to get their ideas on
140 the immediate natural environment. Factories are also equipped with state-of- how to achieve sustainability in each of their
At its Staffordshire headquarters, F. Ball the-art manufacturing equipment, including departments. The results of this will shape
evaluates the entire life cycle of its products high-efficiency motors and boilers to minimise the future direction of the F. Ball sustainability
when looking for ways to be more sustainable. energy consumption. The company’s powder strategy, in line with employee suggestions and
This includes considering the materials used to plant facility is gravity fed so that the only power expectations.
make its products, manufacturing processes and required for production is that of delivery trucks F. Ball Safety Health Environmental and
how the products can be recycled or disposed conveying raw materials to the top of the facility. Quality (SHEQ) Manager Jenny Barnett says:
of responsibly following use and is aided by Furthermore, F. Ball has installed 17 electric ‘We have an ethical duty to do as much as we
complying with ISO 14001 standards. vehicle charging points, both for company cars can to ensure that our business activities do not
Carbon footprint reduction and employee vehicles onsite. adversely affect the environment. This requires
Another major objective of F. Ball’s sustainability The development of the site at F. Ball’s a constant and dedicated effort to identify and
strategy is to reduce the carbon footprint of headquarters, which is situated on the edge implement new ways to be more sustainable,
the business by implementing measures to of the Peak District National Park, has been ensuring we are always striving for improvement.
both consume less energy and increase the carefully planned to harmonise with the It is also good business, driving efficiency and
proportion of the energy that it uses that comes surrounding landscape, preserve the character of safeguarding our long-term viability.’
from renewables. This is being achieved in large the natural environment and protect wildlife. The
part by installing solar panels to generate a powder plant facility is constructed on stilts on a www.f-ball.co.uk

Solar panels generate the majority of F. Ball's power supply in the summer months

CFA Guide to Sustainability 2025/26