Achieving lasting change

Leicester-based firm Structural Adhesives wanted to reduce its energy usage in order to minimise costs and increase profitability. With that in mind, it sought guidance from the Leicester Innovation Accelerator (LIA) by University of Leicester Innovation Hub, who recommended a Sustainability Audit. By rolling out a number of changes, the company has realised a raft of additional benefits.

Since its inception over 30 years ago, Leicester-based Structural Adhesives has continued to innovate by designing and manufacturing market-leading solutions that meet a variety of needs. Keen to continue to stay ahead, it wanted to find out if its business was operating as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. That’s why it turned to the Leicester Innovation Hub (LIH).

“We were keen to reduce our energy usage as much as possible, in order to save money and possibly increase profitability,” said Angela Orton, managing director at Structural Adhesives.

“We were interested to find out what measures would be suitable for our business, and how we could implement changes to reduce our energy usage both in terms of our manufacturing processes and building use.”

Whilst many companies tend to reach for standard environmental measures such as recycling bins and LED lights, the team at Structural Adhesives were really keen to go above and beyond the norm.

Asha Mistry
Social Innovation Officer

After visiting Structural Adhesives’ premises and taking the time to understand the company’s ambitions, issues and challenges, the LIH team carried out a tour of the multiple-unit manufacturing site. They were then able to conduct a full audit and delivera bespoke report, the contents of which were enlightening. “We realised there was more scope to embed sustainability and social impact into our core business practices than just energy reduction savings alone,” said Orton.

“Whilst many companies tend to reach for standard environmental measures such asrecycling bins and LED lights, the team at Structural Adhesives were really keen to goabove and beyond the norm,” said Asha Mistry, Social Innovation Officer. “We were delighted to show them exactly what could be achieved.”

Structural Adhesives now understands that all of its business areas can have an impact on the wider community and environment. It has full visibility into its manufacturing and distribution processes, and has stringent guidelines in place which ensure it chooses the most environmentally-friendly raw materials. This means that all formulations of its products now have a reduced carbon footprint.

“Minimising our carbon footprint is now a high priority at Structural Adhesives,” said Orton. “We have made efforts to source materials as locally as possible, and we are ensuring a level of sustainability right across our supply chain by only working with suppliers that have a first-rate ethics policy.”

The company is also now able to formulate products with reduced amounts of raw materials and is investigating the use of alternatives such as bio-based raw materials. And that’s not all. Structural Adhesives is working with the University of Leicester on projects focusing on sustainable adhesives and adhesives to aid with recyclability. “We want to use our position to improve the local community and also the wider scientific community,” said Orton. “As a result, we can make sure we are giving back, and transforming into the best company we can possibly be.

www.structuraladhesives.co.uk