Smile Plastics expands capacity in UK

Smile Plastics, a recycled-content building products and plastic panels maker operating near Swansea, Wales, has expanded its capacity to consume up to 3,000 metric tons of mixed plastic scrap annually.

Until recently, the company was converting around 500 metric tons of plastic scrap into new products, which Smile Plastics says is the equivalent of about 62.5 million polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

The company’s operations now have moved to a new, larger factory near Swansea. The firm says it has increased its production capacity sixfold and now has the potential to divert more than 3,000 metric tons annually, converting almost 40 metric tons of 100 percent-recycled material every week.

Founded in the 1990s, Smile Plastics uses proprietary technology to convert mixed plastic scrap into plastic panels for architects, designers and brands around the world.

The company uses "everything from yogurt pots to fridge-freezer components" for feedstock, selecting and blending plastic scrap to create architectural surfaces that can be used for a host of applications, from countertops and shower panels to furniture and signage.

“If we as a company can highlight the desirability of recycling plastic not only in practice but also in the aesthetics and performance of the results we can deliver, we can nudge the dial closer to solving the problem of plastic, and permanently change the way we think about waste,” says Adam Fairweather, director at Smile Plastics.

The company says its move to a larger facility—in a former chocolate factory—has opened up the space and resources necessary to implement more extensive quality checks and optimize process efficiency, enabling it to turn around larger orders within shorter time frames.

The new factory consumes plastic scrap from more than 60 businesses in Swansea and beyond and works in partnership with community groups and regional organizations to source raw materials and tackle specific waste streams, according to Smile Plastics.

Plastics are sorted and graded by color and polymer type, then shredded, heated and pressed into sheets. The type and color of raw materials determines the pattern of the finished panel, which can be everything from a sober natural stone mimic to a maximalist eruption of color.

Smile Plastics says one of its popular styles, known as Alba, even takes advantage of the presence of aluminum—considered a contaminant in many recycling applications. Alba panels are “flecked with silver, thanks to the fact it is made from [yogurt cups],” The company consumed 111 million scrap yogurt cups in 2022.

Smile Plastics also has worked to close its own loop, noting its products are designed to be fully recyclable— "a cradle-to-cradle production cycle.”

Used panels can be returned to the beginning stage of the process, as can any scrap or substandard materials generated during the manufacturing and cutting processes. The company also operates a buyback service to facilitate return and recycling of end-of-life panels.

Smile Plastics now is considering spreading its business model beyond the U.K.

“Our Swansea factory is a blueprint for replication around the world,” says Rosalie McMillan, another director at Smile Plastics. “This approach meets our international customer base’s desire for localized manufacture and supports a sustainable future, minimizing carbon impact from shipping and harnessing the localized [scrap] streams at a global scale.”

The company says it is exploring the possibility of establishing a decentralized network of factories in Europe and globally, seeking to increase in scale without compromising on quality, aesthetics or environmental performance.

“Our mission is to create a conscious community on a global scale; by decentralizing [the] manufacture of 100 percent-recycled products, we can achieve this,” McMillan says.