James Walker takes 2023 BPF Energy Award

With over 500 member companies, the BPF represents over 80% of the UK plastics industry by turnover. In support of all energy initiatives undertaken by the plastics industry, BPF Energy makes an award each year to acknowledge energy efficiency improvement within the Plastics Sector Climate Change Agreement.

The award is assessed on the improvement over the year and is calculated by taking the incremental energy consumed against incremental production achieved. This year James Walker Group’s Cockermouth manufacturing facility in Cumbria came top of the rankings of some 522 sites and received the 2023 BPF Energy Award at the Association’s 90^th Gala Dinner event at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

The award was received on behalf of the James Walker Group by David Jackson, Group Finance Director, accompanied by colleagues from the Cockermouth site; Ed Surman, Site Director; Andrew Slone, Health, Safety & Environment Manager; Laura Thompson, Senior SHE Advisor; Mark Ashbridge, Test Room Manager and Emma Bell, Operational Excellence Analyst - James Walker & Co Ltd

On receiving the award, Site Director Ed Surman commented; ‘The progress we have made comes from a raft of initiatives across our site. Increasing our gas pipeline capacity has enabled us to use gas boilers for heating and steam generation plus the replacement of older equipment with new efficient electric options has made a significant impact on our CO₂ footprint. Adding to that have been a number of process improvements including waste and reject reduction that have improved our rate of energy consumption per kg of product produced. Finally we have smaller, although no less important, initiatives such as switching to led lighting, the replacement of double glazing to prevent heat loss and an education programme that encourages and enables our employees to make energy savings whenever they are onsite by even the simplest of actions such as switching off lights and equipment when not in use.’

Adding to Ed’s comments, David Jackson said; ‘To receive this award in recognition of our efforts has been a fantastic surprise and I am sure it will spur us on to achieve further reductions in our CO₂ footprint through further initiatives such as our recently completed installation of a new transformer and 432 kWp solar power system. As part of the James Walker Group, our site at Cockermouth is just one of many manufacturing plants and offices around the globe but in all locations one of our key goals is to reduce our environmental impact in any way we can. Receiving this recognition from the BPF will undoubtedly help push all of us on to greater achievements in sustainability and climate action.'

David Jackson and colleagues (left to right) Andrew Slone, Laura Thompson, Emma Bell, Ed Surman and Mark Ashbridge pictured with speaker for the evening, former Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls as they receive the 2023 BPF Energy Award on behalf of James Walker Group.