Interplas is the major event held every three years at the NEC in Birmingham for the plastics industry with over 500 exhibitors and 12,000 attendees. Both the British Plastics Federation (BPF) and the Horners take stands. This year it was held between 26th and 28th September.
The Horners annual Awards for 2023 were announced at both Interplas and the Horners Banquet. Awarded in association with the BPF, the awards were judged from a combined pool of 18 entries and were considered under the various criteria for the Horners’ Award for Plastics Innovation and Design, the Bottlemakers’ Award, the David Williams Award for Social Contribution Through Plastics and the Horners BPF Award.
The Horners’ Award for Plastics Innovation and Design was one by Suscons UK Ltd. for their innovative “Transitional Emergency Relief Shelter”, made from 75% recycled PVC window and door frames. The shelter can be 100% recycled after its 10 year lifespan, meaning that it represents a closed-loop solution to a humanitarian society. It was for this reason that the judges also decided to accord the David Williams Award to Suscons.
The winner of the Horners BPF Award was Polypipe Civils and Green Urbanisation for their Ridgidrain twin-wall drainage system made from 100% recycled material. This product is the first of its type in the UK with Highways Authority approval and represents the very best in innovative design, combining excellent performance with all the benefits of sustainability.
For the Bottlemakers’ Award, there were four entries, with the winner being Berry Superfos, for their closed-loop recycled paint containers. Berry have mastered the challenge of being able to wash the plastic containers and recover the waste residual paint, which is then re-engineered into new paint and put back into the same containers, making this a truly closed-loop system. This reduces the environmental impact of both the paint and its packaging through the reduction of waste product sent to landfill and the carbon emissions associated with incineration, saving approximately 2.8 tonnes of CO2 for each tonne of plastic not incinerated.
The three winners were announced at the Interplas conference and exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham, held on the 26th to 28thSeptember. Interplas is the leading plastics event in the UK, held every three years. This year, they celebrated 75 years of connecting the UK Plastics Industry. By coincidence, the Horners Company was also celebrating its own anniversary of 80 years being associated with plastics, the modern equivalent of horn and 40 years with the British Plastics Federation. The Horners stand at Interplas held a prominent position in the Knowledge Pavilion within the exhibition hall and was manned throughout by Liveryman from the Company. The magnificent Horners’ Award trophy was on proud display and attracted a lot of interest from passers-by. The awards announcement was made on the stage of the Interplas Conference zone, with a small drinks reception held afterwards. Last year’s winner of the David Williams Award, Zara King, was presented with an engraved drinking horn.
You can find out more about our Awards by selecting AWARDS on the selection bar above.