Cullen awarded prestigious ‘Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund’ From Scottish Enterprise
Cullen welcomed Richard Lochhead MSP, the Scottish Minister for Business, Trade, and Innovation and Neil Francis, Managing Director for Major Projects Scottish Enterprise for a tour of their recently expanded, state-of-the art 14-acre site in Glasgow after securing funding from the ‘Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund’ from Scottish Enterprise.
Since 2020, Cullen has successfully replaced an astounding 1.2 billion units of plastic packaging with recyclable, compostable and biodegradable alternatives, exporting to 34 countries globally. Leveraging its unparalleled expertise, the company has demonstrated the ability to replace plastic packaging with innovative moulded fibre alternatives within one month.
Already a powerhouse in sustainable packaging and a large local employer of 230, Cullen are on a steep growth curve, the £475,000 Scottish Enterprise grant funding forms part of an extensive investment programme and supported phase one of their expansion to increase manufacturing capabilities, new machinery and the installation of solar panels in the near future, all of which created 34 new jobs and safeguarded an existing 20.
Phase two expansion plans were recently announced, Cullen have committed a further £15m to expanding their North Factory to increase capacity to 1 billion pieces of plastic free products annually, building an onsite innovation centre and creating a further 120 jobs.
The growth and expansion is all in response to soaring demand for sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic packaging as the firm continues to collaborate with brands and sectors to help them achieve their ambitious Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets.
During the tour Richard and Neil were introduced to Cullen’s latest innovation The Fibre Bottle, a paper bottle alternative to single use plastic bottles and pouches for dry goods. They were excited and highly motivated by the innovative strides Cullen are making by utilising their own waste and creating market disrupting, commercially viable, sustainable packaging solution that will reduce single-use plastic waste.
David MacDonald, Owner and CEO of Cullen Eco-Friendly Packaging, said: “Global demand for sustainable alternatives to plastic is soaring, and our Glasgow-headquartered firm is a global leader in the space. We use moulded fibre to make compostable packaging for the world’s leading retailers, consumer electronics companies, food and drink chains and health services. Our innovation approach is to do everything in-house from design to creating our own machines, to turning waste into new packaging and manufacturing at mass scale. So this grant win will help to spur our growth, and put British sustainability manufacturing on the global map.”
Richard Lochhead MSP, said: “It’s really exciting to be a part of what is such a major step forward in a project that will play a vital part in protecting our planet, reducing the world’s reliance on single-use plastics and ultimately lowering carbon manufacturing. Companies like Cullen are exactly why we created the Scottish Enterprise Federation.”
Neil Francis is Managing Director for Major Projects at Scottish Enterprise. He said: “Helping innovative Scottish companies to seize the opportunities in the battle against climate change is a real area of focus for Scottish Enterprise. “There can be few better examples of this than Cullen, who have been in operation for over 100 years and are now using their expertise to adapt to the industries of the future.”