Pains Wessex launches sustainable flare packs
Pains Wessex, part of the Wescom Group which manufactures pyrotechnics for the commercial and leisure marine markets, has launched a sustainable flare pack.
Available for the brand’s Inshore Flare Pack, Coastal Flare Pack and Offshore Flare Pack, the upgrade provides customers the option to purchase flare packs without the inclusion of a plastic polybottle. Instead, the packs can be purchased with a 100 per cent sustainable, eco-friendly, biodegradable, compostable and recyclable reinforced paper bag and a polybottle reused for storage onboard.
Polybottles are rugged, water-resistant storage bottles that carry flares when onboard at sea, so distress signals can be easily retrieved in an emergency. Due to their buoyancy and waterproof nature, polybottles are often made of plastic-based material, with a much longer lifespan in comparison to leisure flares, for example, that are sold with up to four years’ service life.
This new solution is designed to combat the unnecessary waste of plastic polybottles and ensure a sustainable circle of habit for flare owners, with the handy, fit-for-purpose refill bag used to return any previous flares for safe disposal.
The sustainable paper bag is not designed for stowing pyrotechnics onboard, it is purely as a means of transport from the shop to the ship or home where they can be stored in a safe and waterproof polybottle.
However, the paper bag can be used to return old, out-of-date flares to be responsibly disposed of by stores accepting expired pyrotechnics.
The new sustainable pack also presents customers with a more economical option when buying new flares, with a cost saving off the purchase price of an original flare pack, which includes a polybottle. Each pack will still include the required or recommended smokes, hand flares and parachute rockets.
“Pyrotechnic flares are the most globally recognised method of alerting a distress situation at sea, and the most effective form of visual location marking in search and rescue operations,” says Pains Wessex sales executive, Ally Ogg. “It is sensible that they are safely stored in polybottles onboard, but we realise that the polybottle does not need to be replaced every few years, it can be reused again – unlike out-of-date flares.
“As part of our company-wide approach to making our products and business more sustainable, this product upgrade gives our customers a more eco-friendly alternative when purchasing their pyrotechnics. We have listened to feedback from our partners and customers around the world and are confident this will make a difference to their options, their finances and to our planet.”
As part of Wescom Group’s commitment to saving lives, the brand has published a myth-busting pyrotechnic flare animation, dispelling misinformation about flares derived from common false information. Watch it below:
