Luxus delivers on odour-busting plastic recycling innovation with UK Government and the Carbon Trust

Luxus is proud to join a clutch of companies to have demonstrated industrial advances that could save four million tonnes of carbon emissions over the next decade. 

The government-backed project aims to reduce energy consumption and maximise resource efficiency – with the results on a par with removing the UK’s largest gas-fired power station from the grid.  

The Industrial Energy Efficiency Accelerator has been led by the Carbon Trust, and is a £7 million programme targeting what is the third largest emitting sector in the UK – with industry responsible for 48 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. 

Luxus - one of 13 participants - delivered Odour Control Accelerator, significantly reducing smells from volatile organic compounds in recycled polymers – typically foodstuff from consumer waste - opening up new uses for higher volumes, saving virgin plastics.  

Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear said: “The UK is leading the way in industrial innovation to cut emissions and boost productivity across the UK. Programmes like this have allowed us to back new technologies that will help a wide range of businesses, from food to construction. 

“This is a great example of how government and industry are working in tandem to deliver real-world solutions to tackle the climate crisis and back industry on the journey to Net Zero." 

Research and development work at our in-house laboratory, supported by University of Lincoln and the Technology Research Centre, has seen odours reduced to undetectable levels. It will deliver a saving on virgin polymers, which equates to more than 1,200 kg CO₂e per tonne. It is seen as especially beneficial with future regulations pushing for an increase in closed-loop recycling. 

Braydon Koss, Sustainability & Project Lead at Luxus, said: “We were excited to be part of the IEEA. This new technology will aid in developing high quality polymer grades to be used within multiple industries allowing for an increased volume of post-consumer waste used in products, not only reducing the need for virgin polymer, but decreasing carbon emissions and helping companies meet the upcoming regulations for sustainability.” 

The IEEA was a unique opportunity for UK technology developers to bring their innovations to market, and to prove their technology works at scale in a production environment and the technology providers have gone on to raise over £40 million of private finance. 

The thirteen projects covered metalworking, food equipment cleaning, brewing heat recovery, in-situ road resurfacing and the recycling of textiles as well as plastics and were funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero under its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. The third and fourth phases of the IEEA were delivered in partnership with Jacobs and Innovate UK Business Connect. 

Paul McKinney, Associate Director at the Carbon Trust, and programme manager of the IEEA said: “Many of these technologies bring step-change energy savings to industrial processes, and often provide quality, productivity and other benefits as well as carbon savings. I very much look forward to seeing wide deployment of the technologies we have supported.” .