Summary

Elite Plastics began trading in January 1990 as a family-run business and is now proudly operated by its third generation. Today, the company operates from a 140,000-square-foot production facility, where it extrudes, prints, converts, and recycles a wide range of polythene products, including bags, films, and covers.

A longstanding part of the Hereford community, Elite Plastics has consistently demonstrated its commitment to local causes, supporting charities and sponsoring children’s sports teams throughout its history.

As an energy-intensive business, Elite Plastics turned to the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) for support in managing rising energy costs and maintaining competitiveness in today’s market.

Tackling rising prices

Energy is the third-largest cost for Elite Plastics, making rising energy prices a serious threat, not just to the company, but to the wider UK manufacturing sector. Increasing energy costs reduce competitiveness and can push businesses into loss-making positions, creating a destructive cycle. To remain viable, Elite Plastics needed a strategy to offset or reduce these escalating costs.

After receiving a free energy assessment from the BEAS, Elite Plastics was advised that it could significantly reduce both energy consumption and operational costs by...

Upgrading to energy-efficient extrusion technology

It was revealed that Elite Plastics could achieve substantial cost and energy savings by replacing its outdated, inefficient extrusion lines with modern, energy-efficient alternatives (Extrusion lines are machines that melt and shape plastic into continuous products such as bags, films, and sheets.)

Through the BEAS scheme, Elite Plastics secured £100,000 in funding to support this upgrade. Without this support, the investment would have been delayed by two to three years.

The new state-of-the-art extrusion lines not only reduce energy consumption per unit produced but also significantly boost production efficiency, delivering meaningful savings and strengthening the company’s long-term competitiveness.

Following recommendations from the energy assessment, which highlighted the potential for greater energy savings, Elite Plastics completed Phase 2 of its solar installation earlier this year.

Although this installation was not directly funded by the BEAS programme, the free assessment played a crucial role in identifying the opportunity and accelerating the investment decision.

Results in numbers

Match funded grant*	Estimated annual carbon saving*	Estimated annual energy saving*
£100,000	83.2tCO2e	184,800kWh

*based upon full assessment report implementation

After BEAS

Elite Plastics is now able to produce its products more efficiently and cost-effectively, helping the company remain competitive despite external market pressures. This enhanced capability not only strengthens its position in the industry but also attracts new business, as customers increasingly seek partners committed to sustainability and innovation.