2K Manufacturing (Luton / UK; www.ecosheet.com) has commenced full production of its “Ecosheet” board, made entirely of recycled plastics and approved as a replacement for plywood in the construction industry. It has been trialled successfully by a number of companies, including Bovis Lend Lease, Apollo Group, ISG Pearce, Morgan Sindall and Wates, and 2K Manufacturing already has received orders for over 8,000 sheets.

Ecosheet is composed entirely of mixed plastic waste and is being manufactured using a unique process developed by 2K. It is competitive in price with plywood and can be used in a range of similar applications. However, unlike plywood, which is usually sent to landfill for disposal after use, it can be reused and/or recycled. It is precisely this sustainable performance, 2K says, that has prompted the construction industry’s initial orders for the sheet.

The recycled plastic sheet is said to be easier to work with than plywood and does not create splinters. It is flat, has no surface defects and can be coloured or painted. According to 2K managing director Omar Kutluoglu, the construction industry trials have shown that Ecosheet outperforms plywood imported into the UK environmentally, commercially and operationally.

2K says its Luton plant reprocesses some 30,000 t/y of mixed plastics waste into Ecosheet and the company has plans to open more production sites near consumer waste streams to enable it to produce some four million sheets of the recycled board annually. Part of the funding for 2K has been provided by the Foresight Group (Sevenoaks / UK; www.foresightgroup.eu), a leading investor in sustainable projects for unquoted companies.