Packaging film manufacturer Futamura UK has invested £15 million in its Wigton, UK, manufacturing site as part of its ongoing efforts to improve environmental performance and operational efficiency.
The investment, which follows a series of upgrades to machinery and site infrastructure in recent years, is aimed at reducing emissions, increasing energy efficiency, and lowering the environmental footprint of Futamura’s cellulose-based packaging films.
The company, which employs 270 staff and has operated from the Wigton site for over 90 years, produces renewable, wood-pulp-based flexible packaging films. Its NatureFlex range is certified for both home and industrial composting.
The new project, known internally as WSA, will introduce a system to divert waste gases from production into a chemical oxidation process, creating a usable raw material. Heat generated during the process will be recovered and used to produce steam – Futamura’s primary energy source for manufacturing. Once fully operational, the new system is expected to supply around 15% of the site’s total energy needs.
This development will also allow the company to reduce its reliance on grid-supplied natural gas, contributing to its longer-term decarbonisation goals.
The initiative represents the largest investment in the Wigton site since Futamura’s acquisition by Japanese owners in 2016. To support the project, the UK Government has awarded the company a grant of up to £4.5 million through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF), which supports projects that improve energy efficiency in industrial processes.
Adrian Cave, managing director of Futamura, commented: “At Futamura we are passionate about our NatureFlex and Cellophane products, and we believe that this also means that we have to continually evolve and utilise greener manufacturing processes, to further reduce our environmental footprint. We are delighted that the IETF energy efficiency grant has resulted in this project coming to fruition. Transformational projects such as this WSA installation invariably are expensive and have a medium to long term payback.”
Futamura says the project will contribute to its net-zero targets and reduce the overall impact of its packaging products, while demonstrating a continued commitment to modernising its UK operations.
