This summer brought us an unexpectedly glorious stretch of weather here in the UK— we’re just as surprised as you! We can’t believe Q3 of the year is already behind us, and we are now in Q4 with the countdown to year-end and the festive season fast approaching, bringing with it the usual flurry of activity and excitement! Read on to find out what we’ve been up to and some exciting developments from Q3…
New investment alert: new flexo printer for our heat-shrink sleeves
As many of you will now know, we’ve invested in a new Mark Andy Evolution Series E5 flexographic printing press for our heat-shrink products at our Swansea facility replacing our old gravure printer. This advanced press is scheduled to be fully installed and ready for customer orders by the beginning of October.
This investment represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to quality, innovation, and operational growth. It enables us to expand our offering as a leading UK shrink sleeve supplier and tamper-evident packaging manufacturer.
Switching from our solvent-based gravure printer to a flexographic press reduces environmental impact, as the new printer uses water-based inks and creates less waste. Flexo printing is cleaner, more efficient, and the process is simpler to maintain, helping us meet our sustainability goals and our customers’ demands for eco-friendly packaging.
What this means for our heat-shrink sleeves customers:
- Faster print speeds – up to 170 metres per minute
- High-resolution, full-colour graphics
- Up to 87% reduction in setup waste
- Lower MOQs & quicker turn-arounds on printed orders
- Ability to print on PLA, as well as PET and RPET – expanding our sustainable packaging options
We’re incredibly proud of this next step in our journey and deeply grateful to our amazing team and loyal customers who continue to support us in our move forward. If you would like to speak to us about any new print opportunities please contact your account manager or email us here sales@viscose.co.uk and one of our team will be in touch to discuss how we can help.
Staying with the theme of newness, we’re also excited to announce the launch of a new product offering – tethered caps!
New product launch: Tethered plastic screwcaps
We have expanded our product portfolio with the introduction of tethered 1810 and 1881 caps. We’ve already transitioned our plastic closures customers from untethered to tethered caps smoothly and successfully. Designed to meet evolving sustainability and regulatory requirements, these caps remain attached to the bottle after opening, reducing litter and supporting recycling efforts. Available in a range of colours and finishes, these closures combine functionality, consumer convenience, and environmental responsibility—further strengthening our tamper-evident packaging solutions.
1881- white, black and transparent available in box quantities on our webshop. Shop here.
To enquire for bespoke colours or 1810 size cap contact us here.
New bartops sizes added to our webshop
Alongside introducing tethered caps to our product portfolio, we’ve also added two new sizes of bartops to our online shop:
40mm Wood Head Bartops are now available as a stock item online!
Choose from two premium cork shank options:
- 19.5mm MicroHit
- 22.5mm MicroHit
Supplied in convenient boxes of 1000
Reliable performance with a natural, premium look
Perfect for clear spirits such as gin, vodka and white rum
Order directly through our web shop today and give your bottles the finishing touch they deserve.
Two Years of Solar Power – and Still Going Strong
In July we celebrated 2 years since we installed our solar panels and, in that time, we’ve saved enough CO₂ emissions to equal:
- Planting 2,003 trees
- Driving 485,000 km (that’s over 12 times around the Earth!)
All while lowering our energy costs and reducing our reliance on non-renewable energy sources. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made in improving our sustainability and we’re committed to developing this even further.
Foodbank donation
In July we delivered our summer Foodbank donation to our friends at Sketty Foodbank Swansea.
We have all been impacted by the cost-of-living crisis and the summer holidays can be especially hard for some households and families. Sketty Foodbank is supporting families in need all year round. They are a local, independent and volunteer-run Foodbank, that provide essential food parcels for between 35 and 50 households in crisis each week.
We asked our staff to donate as many dried / tinned items as they could, in particular items that are always in demand such as cereals, tea, coffee and long-life milk. The response from our team was once again exceptional, clearly demonstrating the generosity and commitment of our outstanding staff.
We’re so grateful to Sketty Foodbank and its wonderful volunteers for their crucial support to the local community.
Welsh Enterprise Awards 2025: Sustainable Packaging SME of the Year nomination
We are delighted to share the news that we have been nominated for the Sustainable Packaging SME of the Year 2025 at the Wales Enterprise Awards, organised by SME News. This recognition is a testament to our ongoing commitment to sustainability and innovation within the industry.
We are honoured to be shortlisted for this prestigious award alongside other outstanding companies who are also making significant strides in sustainable practices. Congratulations to all the finalists who have been recognised for their dedication and achievements.
The results of the Wales Enterprise Awards 2025 will be announced in November. We look forward to the announcement and will be sure to keep everyone updated on our progress. Stay tuned!
Staff corner
Macmillan Coffee Morning
On the 25th of September we held our annual company Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. This year, like last year we held a Viscose Bake-Off competition for the best baked item, with customised trophies for 1st-3rd place presented by our MD Emma!
Our winners were:
1st- Gemma Waygood for her corned beef pie
2nd- Stephen Armstrong for his corned beef pasties
3rd- Jan Hall for her Victoria Sponge
We had a lot of fun, all whilst raising £200 towards Macmillan’s vital wok in both cancer support and research. We can confirm that a lot of cake was consumed too!
Our Coffee Morning spread / Our Viscose bake off winners:
(from left to right) Stephen Armstrong, Gemma Waygood, Emma Blackmore and Jan Hall Celebrating Remarkable Careers & Well-Earned Retirements!
In mid-July, we had the pleasure of celebrating two incredible team members hard work and commitment as they head into retirement:
Deirdre Titchener – 34 years of dedicated service
Jeff Jones – 23 years of outstanding contributions
Together, they’ve spent nearly six decades shaping our culture, mentoring colleagues, and bringing excellence to everything they do. Their positive legacy will be felt for years to come.
To mark the occasion, we gathered for a pizza lunch and a fiercely competitive game of Bingo – full of laughter, a few questionable tactics, and lots of great memories.
Please join us in wishing Deirdre and Jeff all the best in their next chapter – well-deserved and hard-earned. You’ll both be deeply missed!
Women in Packaging Excellence Awards
In May we announced that our MD Emma Blackmore and our Marketing and Brand Manager Seren Pontin were both shortlisted for awards at the Packaging News- Women In Packaging Excellence Awards being held in London in July.
Although Emma and Seren did not take home prizes on the night, we are immensely proud of their achievement in being selected from a pool of over 580 remarkable nominees. Being shortlisted for such a competitive award is a testament to their dedication, talent, and impact within the packaging industry. It was a joy to celebrate their hard work and dedication alongside so many talented and inspiring women from across the sector.
Congratulations to all the winners — and thank you to the Women in Packaging organisers for a truly memorable event. Here’s to continuing to support and celebrate women driving excellence in packaging!
Dannie White work anniversary
Our wonderful and dedicated staff are key to keeping our business going.
On the 14th of September, we celebrated our Electrical Engineer, Dannie White’s 5-year work anniversary at Viscose! Well done Dannie and a big thank you for your continued dedication to our business.
Viscose in the press
We’ve been busy in the press in recent months. Here’s some highlights:
Business News Wales – our investment in our new flexo printer was featured in Business News Wales in July – See the feature here.
Printweek – our flexo printer was included in Print Week in July too – Read the feature here.
Business Edge – our printer was discussed in Business Edge magazine too – Read the feature here (page 8).
Packaging Suppliers Global – in September, we featured in Packaging Suppliers Global magazine, discussing our new products and services launched in time for London Packaging Week in October. Read the article here (pages 37-39)
EPR guide – our ‘A guide to extended producer responsibility’ article is now live on our website. If you are looking for general guidance on EPR and what it means for you – Read our guide here.
What to look forward to in Q4 and the end of 2025
- London Packaging Week 2025- We’re exhibiting at the Food & Consumer Pack show that is part of London Packaging Week on the 15th and 16th of October at the London ExCel Exhibition Centre. With more than 5,000 visitors expected to attend, we’re going to be busy and look forward to meeting our customers old and new. If you are attending, do pop along to stand B30 and say hello.
- Our festivities and activities- including supporting the Swansea festive ‘Mr. X’ appeal
- Welsh Enterprise Awards results – watch out for the results of the Welsh Enterprise Awards in November.
As we approach the end of the year, don’t miss the final edition of Viscose Voice for 2025, coming this December. In this issue, we’ll be reflecting on the key business highlights from the past twelve months, revisiting our milestones, achievements, and moments that have shaped our journey throughout the year. Alongside this retrospective, readers can look forward to a variety of additional features and news, making it an edition not to be missed.
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