On a mission to be greener.

As our Car Club friends know, we have always supplied cable ties free of charge with orders for Rally Plates to allow them to be fixed to bumpers, grilles etc. Our Rally Plates are manufactured using polypropylene which is recyclable but traditional cable ties however are made from nylon which is not as easily recycled on a domestic level and in addition they must be cut off once used so are single use. As we get through many thousands per year, we didn’t like that…

When we started researching alternatives, we naively thought we were just a few clicks away on Google to the solution. Surely it would be a straightforward switch from a disposable cable tie which was not easily recyclable, to one that was? We soon discovered that sustainability in the world of plastics is a very complicated matter.

Recycled doesn’t necessarily mean recyclable.

Although alternatives made partly from recycled polyurethane and pvc are more environmentally friendly as they contain a percentage of recycled materials, once they are finished with you can’t simply throw them in the recycle bin. They can only be recycled on a commercial level at specialist centres along with, for example, large quantities of old cable sleeving.

So, what about bio-degradable ties?

Yes, they do exist! There is even a water soluble one but not ideal for outdoor use – we had visions of Rally Plates flying off left right and centre on rainy day Rallies and littering the countryside making things worse not better!

We found one containing around 70% renewable carbon, suitable for outdoor use, also re-usable and home compostable. The only drawback was the cost, which is many times more than traditional ties so although we can’t supply free of charge, we can offer as an option for purchase instead. (please enquire when placing Rally Plate orders)