From resin to results - Elite Plastics sustainable journey with BEAS
Published: 27 August 2025
Summary
Elite Plastics began trading in January 1990 as a family-run business and is now proudly operated by its third generation. Today, the company operates from a 140,000-square-foot production facility, where it extrudes, prints, converts, and recycles a wide range of polythene products, including bags, films, and covers.
A longstanding part of the Hereford community, Elite Plastics has consistently demonstrated its commitment to local causes, supporting charities and sponsoring children’s sports teams throughout its history.
As an energy-intensive business, Elite Plastics turned to the Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) for support in managing rising energy costs and maintaining competitiveness in today’s market.
The BEAS Programme has been a fantastic resource for identifying energy inefficiencies within our business and finding practical ways to address them. It highlighted opportunities that not only boosted our energy efficiency but also delivered strong financial returns, making our operations more competitive in an increasingly tough market.
The sustainability gains have been equally valuable reducing our carbon footprint has helped us align with growing expectations from both customers and suppliers.
Tackling rising prices
Energy is the third-largest cost for Elite Plastics, making rising energy prices a serious threat, not just to the company, but to the wider UK manufacturing sector. Increasing energy costs reduce competitiveness and can push businesses into loss-making positions, creating a destructive cycle. To remain viable, Elite Plastics needed a strategy to offset or reduce these escalating costs.
After receiving a free energy assessment from the BEAS, Elite Plastics was advised that it could significantly reduce both energy consumption and operational costs by...
Upgrading to energy-efficient extrusion technology
It was revealed that Elite Plastics could achieve substantial cost and energy savings by replacing its outdated, inefficient extrusion lines with modern, energy-efficient alternatives (Extrusion lines are machines that melt and shape plastic into continuous products such as bags, films, and sheets.)
Through the BEAS scheme, Elite Plastics secured £100,000 in funding to support this upgrade. Without this support, the investment would have been delayed by two to three years.
The new state-of-the-art extrusion lines not only reduce energy consumption per unit produced but also significantly boost production efficiency, delivering meaningful savings and strengthening the company’s long-term competitiveness.
Solar installation
Following recommendations from the energy assessment, which highlighted the potential for greater energy savings, Elite Plastics completed Phase 2 of its solar installation earlier this year.
Although this installation was not directly funded by the BEAS programme, the free assessment played a crucial role in identifying the opportunity and accelerating the investment decision.
Results in numbers
Match funded grant*:
£100,000
Estimated annual energy saving*:
184,800kWh
Estimated annual carbon saving*:
83.2tCO2e
*based upon full assessment report implementation
Taking part in the BEAS Programme was a real turning point for us. Their team helped pinpoint where we were losing energy and guided us toward solutions that made a measurable difference. With their support and grant funding, we invested in a new, energy-efficient blown film extrusion line—a major upgrade that’s already improving performance and cutting costs.
The environmental benefits are just as important, helping us meet the sustainability standards our customers now expect. I’d recommend the programme to any business looking to future-proof their operations.”
After BEAS
Elite Plastics is now able to produce its products more efficiently and cost-effectively, helping the company remain competitive despite external market pressures. This enhanced capability not only strengthens its position in the industry but also attracts new business, as customers increasingly seek partners committed to sustainability and innovation.
Find out more about BEAS
The Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) is a flagship support programme delivered by Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM), designed to help businesses across the region cut energy costs and boost sustainability.
BEAS offers practical guidance and access to grant funding ranging from £1,000 to £100,000 to support energy-saving improvements.
