The Environment‘Waste Reduction and Re-use’

Objective

To demonstrate Steelite International’s commitment towards reducing its impact on

the global environment.

History

Incorporated as Steelite International plc in 1983 - trading under different umbrellas since the late 19th Century

Ceramic manufacturing and distribution based on a 13 acre site in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire - the “Potteries”

Global coverage with 4 further distribution sites in:– America– Australia– Canada– Netherlands

Environmental Credentials

To be the hospitality industry’s preferred choice for tabletop products achieved through a

combination of inspirational design, excellent quality, outstanding service whilst minimising minimising

our impact on the environmentour impact on the environment

Our Vision

Our Process - 2007

Raw Materials in

Ball Clay China Clay Filler Flux Water

Mixing Arks (Secret Recipe)

Sliphouse

Material Pressed - Removes Water

Pugged - Removes Air (Evens Body)

Released to manufacturing

Cups, Holloware, Flatware made

Overlooked

Fired to “Biscuit”

Sponged (Wet)

Best

Best

Reject

Reject

Effluent Cone

Effluent Press Landfill

Waste Water

Modified WasteWater

History

The process:– Waste water pumped into an effluent cone– Chemicals added to split the waste material from waste water – Waste material settles at bottom of the cone– Waste water is pumped off the top– Waste material is pumped into an effluent press– Result: 400 tonnes (annually) of clay waste going to landfill

The Challenge

To take Steelite International recycling to the next level - in 2007 25% of waste leaving site was destined for landfill sites

To reduce the amount of material sent to landfill - ≥ 350 tonnes in 2007

To save money on raw materials

To make the operation simpler and if possible less labour intensive

To have a Unique Selling Point (USP)

The Solution

The Lamella Project was:

– Set up to identify a means of recycling clay waste - our biggest source of landfill

– Designed to reduce the amount of raw materials purchased

– Designed to reduce land fill and impact on the environment

– Designed to reduce the amount of chemical components used to settle our waste effluent

– To make Steelite International a market leader in the recycling of waste materials - our USP

The Investment

The Lamella Filtration System was identified as a solution:

– Cost of purchase and installation - £85k– The amount of material saved per year - estimated at

£50k– Chemicals averaging £10k per annum (Settling

purposes)

Question: Was this the time to invest in a project which has a 1.5 year pay back?

Answer:YES!

Project Lamella

The Lamella system works by:

– Allowing dirty water to run downwards into a separator chamber through an inlet channel

– Once the water reaches the middle of the separator, the flow is reversed which forces the water upwards and out of a clean water outlet

– The particles in the dirty water travel at a slower speed than the clean water so when the flow is redirected upwards, the particles settle within the Lamella and slide down into a sludge funnel

– The process is highly efficient and subsequently, requires significantly fewer chemicals to purify the cleaned water

Our Process - Currently

Raw Materials in

Mixing Arks (Secret Recipe)

Sliphouse

Material Pressed - Removes Water

Pugged - Removes Air (Evens Body)

Released to manufacturing

Cups, Holloware, Flatware made

Overlooked

Fired to “Biscuit”

Sponged (Wet)

Best

Best

Reject

Reject

Sump in yard area

Lamella Plant

Waste Water

Reclaimed bodymaterial

Waste Water

Ball Clay China Clay Filler Flux Water

Lamella Efficiency

The facts:

– Every 20 Litres of discharged water filtered through the Lamella yields enough solids to produce a small coffee cup and saucer

– Based on the current throughput of effluent we save enough material to make 15,000 cups and saucers per week

The benefits:

– Reduction in the purchase of raw materials and chemicals

– Less transport of materials and reduced vehicle emissions

– Annual savings equivalent to 400 tonnes of raw material – 4,000 tonnes not needing to be quarried, processed or delivered

Statistics - 2010 Waste Breakdown

With support from several local companies we have managed to recycle above 90% of the waste leaving our site; last year hitting 94%, 2011 is forecast to exceed 96%.

What happens to our waste?

– Pitcher waste is used as raw material for Johnson’s Tiles (Tile body)– Plaster waste is used as raw material for Cheadle Recycling (Gypsum industry)– Refractory waste is processed by Grange Aggregates (General aggregate)– General waste is hand sorted by Brown’s Recycling and 71% is reused or recycled– All wood, paper, cardboard, glass, WEE and scrap metal is 100% recycled

Waste Breakdown

4.25%5.66%

57.42%30.35%

General Waste

Refractory

Plaster Moulds

Pitchers(Ceramic)

‘Made for Life’

Our Made for Life Campaign:

– Aimed at highlighting our production of the most durable ceramic tableware on the market

– Designed to raise awareness of what Steelite International is doing to reduce its impact on the environment by making a product fit for purpose not just for today but also going forward

‘Made for Life’ - The Launch

We took a traditionally British symbol on tour around the country...

Then we stood it on 4 of our standard mugs…

Highlighting the strength and durability of our ware…

What Next…

We are in the process of launching our biggest ever energy survey to identify what we use and how we use it.

This will highlight the areas in which we need to concentrate our efforts.

Once identified we aim to reduce our energy consumption by 30% over the next 5 years without reducing our quality or the durability of our products.

Recycling will hit the target of 100% recycling of all manufacturing waste leaving our site by 2015.

These are bold statements, but they will be met as we have a vision and it is a sustainable one.

Questions?