The impact of greener number plates

Every part matters when it comes to reducing the carbon impact of vehicle manufacturing, and a component that is often overlooked by both vehicle manufacturers and dealers when looking through their sustainability findings is the number plate, an essential part of a vehicle that has long relied on plastic for its production.

 

Plastic number plates are typically made from acrylic (PMMA) – this material requires a specialist recycling centre. Acrylic (PMMA) also needs to be cleaned when it is recycled and the parts used in the construction of the plate have to be separated which makes the recycling process even more complex and carbon-intensive. This means the process is very expensive. In fact, we have been unable to find any instances of plastic number plates being recycled back into usable PMMA.

 

But this is a good news story. There is a sustainable solution to the plastic plate problem.

 

Enter aluminium…

 

Aluminium uses a cheaper and cleaner process to produce vehicle number plates and reduce the overall carbon footprint of a vehicle. In fact, 85% of the world uses it, so why is it not in the UK? Thanks to Hills Numberplates Ltd’s commitment to innovation, this is now an available option to vehicle manufacturers and dealers across the UK.

 

The sustainable solution

 

Hills Numberplates’ innovation has produced the only environmentally-friendly number plates on the market today: MetaTek and the newly released EcoTek.

 

Developed and manufactured in the UK by Hills, these number plate components are made of aluminium, which is stronger, lighter and more durable than acrylic number plates. Most importantly, they have unlimited recycling capabilities, contributing to a reduction in a vehicle’s overall carbon footprint.

 

MetaTek and EcoTek will help vehicle manufacturers and dealers contribute to a cleaner, greener world “one plate at a time”. In fact, some of the UK’s motor industry leaders have already benefitted from the shift to aluminium plates, including Jardine Motors Group, Arnold Clark, Pendragon and Inchcape.

 

Craig McCracken, Group Factor manager at Arnold Clark, said: “It is important that we opt for more sustainable products when looking to extend the longevity of a vehicle. Metallic number plates go a considerable way to reduce the amount of waste when applying new registration plates, with the standard acrylic one often unable to be recycled.”

 

Find out more about how we’re making the planet one plate greener at a time here.