Independent Yorkshire businesses given lifeline of free sustainable PPE

Plastic giants have come together to design, create and distribute thousands of sustainable visors for free to independent Yorkshire businesses.

2KR is an initiative set up by multiple plastic manufacturers to promote sustainable plastic alternatives. The three complementary Maltese companies, with over 30 years’ experience, saw the dire need for sustainable personal protective equipment (PPE) and sought to help.

K-Engineering, RAPCO Limited and Thermoplastics Limited have collaborated in an unprecedented fashion in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak to think outside the box in order to help out in the fight against the global pandemic.

The West Yorkshire businesses that have benefitted from this campaign have ranged from hair & beauty salons, cafés, restaurants, fisheries, care homes, retirement homes and social clubs.

One such business was Mineral Cottage Care Home. Owner Sue Robinson said: 'It's fantastic to use PPE that’s both incredibly protective and sustainable. When giving primary care we need something that is unobtrusive and comfortable, but we also try to be responsible with our waste, so we love that by using these visors we are able to dramatically reduce our single use plastic consumption while making no compromises on the safety of our staff and our residents’.

The visors distributed around Yorkshire are 100% recyclable and re-usable, the plastic manufacturers made the thickness of the face shield thicker than most on the market, making it more robust for usability vastly increasing the life term of the visor.

2KR visors are perfect for hospitality and customer service, as when staff are working long hours, they need protection that is comfortable and incredibly wearable. To ensure this is the case, 2KR developed their designs to incorporate customisability, in the form of adjustable straps that specifically reduces compression fatigue and by treating with anti-fogging, anti-blocking, and anti-static coating for ease of long use.

Another recipient of the visor campaign was Head Kandy, a hair salon in Chapel Allerton, Leeds. Steph, a hairdresser stated that, “We need to wear a visor every day for work but there aren’t many options that you can reuse more than a few times. This means we’re throwing plastic away. It’s really important to me that we’re sourcing sustainable alternatives”.

2KR aim to give something back to the community that has supported us during the hard months of March-July. 2KR CEO, Kenneth Caruana explained that, ‘It’s so rewarding to give back to a community that has supported us all over the last few months, and to be able to give them something that will last and be a solid protective shield against the virus is something we had to do. To make it sustainably was our way of making sure that our protection of today, doesn’t turn into the waste of tomorrow.’