Under the bonnet with Rob Laugharne, Managing Director of Hills Numberplates Ltd

 

Sustainability is now at the forefront of our world, and as one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions, the automotive industry has a responsibility to reduce its environmental impact.

 

With growing conversations around vehicles’ environmental impact beyond the tailpipe, we caught up with our Managing Director at Hills Numberplates, Rob Laugharne to find out where he thinks the industry is heading and what Hills are doing to support improving the industry’s carbon footprint.

 

 

What makes MetaTek and EcoTek stand out from other number plates? 

 

The number plate industry has historically lacked in products available, and we found there to be a gap in the market. We listened to our customer feedback and realised the only way to improve on the customer experience was for us at Hills to differ from the industry norms and offer something completely different and more sustainable, which was completely unheard of at the time. But the pluses are not limited to the environment as the number plates also drastically reduce wastage in the plate production phase, are more cost-effective and the manufacturing process is significantly speedier than with plastic number plates.

 

What is the recycling process of aluminium materials like?

Compared to the recycling process, or lack thereof, of plastic (PMMA), our aluminium is easily recycled. The aluminium number plate is melted down for repurposing and any waste and gasses are cleaned before being released. In fact, our aluminium is already composed of 40% recycled metal. According to the International Aluminium Institute, as of 2019, 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in productive use.

 

 

What role does Hills Numberplates Ltd play in sustainability and tackling climate change?

 

We have tried and often succeeded in making important improvements for our customers. Their feedback guided our aluminium MetaTek product and made us the only producer of an ethically sourced number plate in the UK. It was designed with an improved environmental impact in mind, as well as improving the plate-making process as a whole.

 

We have made it a priority to weave sustainability throughout the business, too. Initiatives include providing all Area Sales Managers with EVs, moving some logistics and distribution operations to Ireland to reduce carbon emissions, changing our packaging to be more sustainable, and gaining a Silver EcoVadis rating last year, the world’s most trusted business sustainability rating. We are also working with Speira to be 100% recyclable by 2025.

 

 

What has the reception been like for MetaTek and EcoTek aluminium plates?

We are really proud of the role we play in transforming the automotive industry a little greener one number plate at a time. However, even though we have received some buzz from environmental charities and organisations such as Friends of the Earth, there still remains a lot to be done in terms of educating the industry that there are plastic-free alternatives available.

 

Where is the industry headed?

We are heading in a direction of more sustainability and more security, in order to catch up with the rest of the world. The ethical alternative to plastic plates has been about since 2012; however, the automotive industry seems to have woken up to the need for more environmental solutions in order to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions. Making a switch to aluminium number plates is an easy way to make a difference and get us one step closer to a greener world.

 

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