
Sewtec Automation Limited, were commissioned to design and build three new state-of-the-art machines to manufacture the Royal British Legion’s new plastic-free poppy.
The new poppy is made entirely from paper and can be recycled in ordinary paper recycling collections. It maintains the iconic poppy leaf and petal design and can be fastened with a pin, inserted into a buttonhole, or stick-on versions are available. The new poppy has been in production throughout 2024 and is available as part of this years poppy appeal. The new paper poppy is the only poppy being manufactured by the RBL and Poppy Scotland
Three machines were built, two for the Royal British Legion and one for the Poppy Scotland factory, which produces a slightly different design because the Scottish poppy doesn’t have leaves but has four petals.
Paul Briggs, Technical Director said, “The poppy machines were a real challenge as these are one off machines which do not exist anywhere else in the world. Seeing the new promotional video produced in partnership with Scottish Poppy and Scotland Rugby highlights just how incredible this project was for everyone involved. Every time I see the new plastic free poppy being worn makes me feel extremely proud to have been part of such an amazing project, which really does impact lives whilst reducing single use plastic.