John Lewis-backed model turns plastic waste into packaging-grade feedstock with social impact
Plastics once destined for landfill or low-value use are now being turned into packaging-grade feedstock, with all high-grade material from mixed bales recovered for reuse.
The process, developed by Recycling Lives Services (RLS), a B Corp-certified recycling and compliance provider registered with Social Enterprise UK , is already being used by major retailers including the John Lewis Partnership, which needed a rapid, high-quality recycling solution to avoid stockpiling plastics while maintaining its circular economy goals.
The recovered feedstock is packaging-grade and in high demand, helping producers meet recycled content requirements under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) reforms. With supply of suitable recycled plastics still limited, the ability to recover value from previously unusable material is increasingly important.
Recycling Lives Services (RLS), achieves this through intensive hand-separation at its Preston and Cradley Heath sites. By isolating valuable polymers such as LDPE from contaminated bales, the company ensures high-quality material is returned to the market. This provides traceable compliance evidence while reducing reliance on virgin polymer. For John Lewis, RLS was able to establish the service in just two weeks, preventing the need to stockpile plastics while seeking a recycling solution.
“The process we use leads to an exceptionally high-quality product which we always experience strong demand for, and in addition nothing goes to landfill,” said Mark Simpson, Commodities Director at RLS. He continues “We know from feedback that the John Lewis Partnership values the service, which has ensured a great outcome for their material”.
The separation process also supports RLS’s distinctive social impact model. Around 15 per cent of its workforce are Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) staff from local prisons. ROTLs at both the Preston and Cradley Heath sites work in plastics separation and baling, gaining skills, paid employment and a pathway to future work on release.
