Minimising Plastic: Supporting Circular Economy

Old and worn plastic temporary protection sheeting can now be recycled into new, usable sheets.

The used temporary protection is collected and fed back into the manufacturing plant as feedstock, saving valuable resources, ensuring a true post-consumer recycled product is made and supporting circular economy.

Following its successful implementation at Principal Tower that has received external recognition, Multiplex has now joined forces with Protec International Ltd to develop a Multiplex ClosedLoop protection sheet.  This will be recycled to protect future Multiplex projects.

This initiative, in accordance with Multiplex's Net Positive Sustainability Strategy demonstrates the company's contribution to Circular Economy towards a positive impact.

How does the ClosedLoop Re-manufacturing Scheme process work?

All returned waste is collected from site, sorted, and inspected. It is then shredded, washed, dried and granulated back into polypropylene pellets.  The pellets are extruded back into polypropylene Proplex sheeting. This is being returned in the same form on a different site, where it can be re-used and available to be entered back into the ClosedLoop Re-manufacturing Scheme.

Case Study: Principal Tower's environmental savings

The scheme was first introduced to Multiplex at Principal Tower for the temporary protection of the building's façade . Over the course of the building's construction phase, Principal Tower reduced waste on site by recycling over 10,000 temporary protection sheets. This equated to 7.2 tonnes of polypropylene temporary protection waste being diverted from landfill and recycled. In addition to the waste savings, every lorry of recycled plastic temporary protection saves 30% of carbon emissions.

Multiplex and Protec have sought external recognition through the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) to encourage other contractors to replicate the initiative.

The joint effort between Principal Tower and Protec International Ltd has been awarded Recycling Excellence by the National Recycling Awards, and has also been shortlisted for the Circular Economy Project of the Year by the Business Green Leaders Awards.