Plastic sheet manufacturer Brett Martin is launching a new plastic roofing product, derived from used cooking oil, which it says will reduce the carbon footprint of buildings around the world.

Called Marlon BioPlus, the new sheet offers a major carbon footprint reduction by reducing the use of fossil-based material by 70%. The raw material in the sheet is also produced with renewable energy, leading to an overall 84% decrease in carbon emissions, according to the company.

Brett Martin, located at Mallusk near Newtownabbey in Northern Ireland, supplies roofing for major football stadia as well as commercial buildings. It has provided polycarbonate roofing for the Etihad and Old Trafford stadia, as well as a wide range of commercial and industrial buildings.

The company employs over ,000 people and has annual sales of £220m, and is one of Europe’s largest plastic sheet producers for the construction industry.

The new range is expected to create strong demand from a construction market eager to reduce its environmental impact.

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Director Paul Martin said: “The drive for sustainable, carbon-neutral plastic materials is progressing, and our launch of Marlon BioPlus is the latest milestone in our journey to that end. Our extensive investment in renewable energy at our Mallusk site is unique in our industry and an important part of our plan.

“We extrude the sheet using energy generated from our own wind turbine and dedicated solar farm at Mallusk.

“This development of this new product reflects the newest technology in the plastic industry to introduce bio-based material. The process, known as mass-balancing, certifies the input of the material through the production system, similar to the way renewable energy enters the power grid.

“Importantly, the cooking oil is from a recycled source and therefore the bio-based content does not compete with food production. And because the substitution occurs at the earliest stage of the resin production process, all the visual and mechanical properties of the finished sheet remain completely unchanged.

“So we anticipate strong demand for the product which is soon to be available to the market globally and we will begin to see it being used in all kinds of buildings soon.”

Photo: Paul Martin (left) with Brett Martin production manager Alan Hanley and process engineer Courtney McCaughran.