SEWTEC PARTNER THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION IN LEADING THEIR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY
19 April 2023Sewtec have designed and built three bespoke machines capable of transforming the iconic Remembrance Poppy to become plastic free.
The new plastic-free poppy is made from 100% paper, easily recycled and is made from 50% coffee cup waste and will cut carbon emissions by 40%.
The new poppy, which has been revamped for the first time in 28 years and will be available for this year’s Poppy Appeal from October, will be made completely from paper, will no longer have a single-use plastic stem or centre, and can be easily recycled through ordinary household recycling collections.
Gary Day, Technical Director said, “What makes Sewtec unique from other automation companies is our ability to design and build innovative solutions that do not currently exist, and because the poppy is such a well-known iconic brand, we readily accepted the challenge of creating a bespoke machine that would produce the UK’s first pure paper poppy.”
“This was an interesting challenge right from the offset of the project because at this stage the new paper poppy was only a design concept and therefore required a period of research and development to ensure we could achieve the customers objectives.”
Once the test machine was completed, we rigorously researched and developed it and began the design of the first machine.
The machine was then created, and the first set of paper poppies were manufactured on-site. Two more machines were then built – a further one for the Royal British Legion and one for the Poppyscotland factory, which needed a slightly different design because the Scottish poppy is slightly different (it doesn’t have leaves and has four petals).
The company’s technical expertise and knowledge has culminated in three bespoke state-of-the-art machines which are now in full production with the capability of making plastic-free poppies ready for the 2023 Poppy Appeal.
It has been a real privilege to work with such an iconic brand, knowing that together we have designed and built machines that can manufacture a product that is purely paper based and will help eradicate single use plastic.
Everyone involved in this project was driven by the same objective and when you look at the final product you cannot help but be amazed by what we achieved through innovation and real teamwork.
If you are interested in hearing more about how Sewtec can help your company with our bespoke automation solutions please get in touch?
