Menzies goes even greener with fully recyclable livery on final-mile fleet

It might not seem much in the whole scheme of things, but Menzies Distribution has announced it is the UK’s first distribution business to specify fully recyclable vehicle branding for its final-mile vehicle fleet.

The company has partnered with vehicle and architectural branding outfit, Aura Brand Solutions, and sign materials manufacturer, Metamark, to review the materials used in fleet livery graphics. The work has focused on testing and developing ‘MetaStream’, a new process offering an attractive recycling option for a wide range of proven Metamark materials.

MetaStream process enables a circular recycling route for qualified Metamark materials used, among other commercial applications, for fleet livery. Metamark uses the MetaStream process itself as part of its ‘Zero To Landfill’ initiative dealing with already low levels of production waste.

The input for the process is a variety of printed and coloured films, recovered and consolidated by the fleet livery producer, while outputs include a variety of transport related articles, even traffic cones, which may be recycled many times. MetaStream prevents high-quality and very useful materials from entering landfill or incineration streams and presents a genuinely circular recycling route. The process also recycles the materials’ liner papers post-production.

The Menzies livery was produced to the business’s brand standards, initially using MetaStream-Ready digital media before moving to bespoke MetaStream materials. All materials and processes used in the production and installation of the branding meet the requirements of the MetaStream process with all waste being 100% recycled into second- and third-life products. Minimising landfill is a clear objective of Menzies and the MetaStream approach fits perfectly with this.

The initial phases of Menzies’ programme will have contributed an initial saving of some three tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the output of two cars driving around an inner-city for a year.

The company’s Route Optimisation initiative has dramatically reduced the road miles covered by its fleet and some 260,000 of road miles travelled by Menzies vehicles are already emission free and wider electrification of the fleet is gathering pace.

Menzies has been recognised by its peers for its commitment to socially responsible and sustainable practices. In 2021 it won The Supply Chain Excellence Sustainability Award.