The Partner
Preseli is one of the largest suppliers of lanyards into the UK promotional industry, based in North Wales with full artwork studio, floor-to-ceiling warehouse racking and re-packaging and distribution facilities. The company has been at the forefront of sustainability innovation within the promotional industry, offering recycled rPET lanyards and sustainable alternatives to their customers.
In early 2025, Preseli approached CHX Products with an ambitious vision to create a lanyard recycling programme that would address the growing sustainability concerns around single-use lanyards at events. This programme would collect used polyester and rPET lanyards, break them down into component materials, and transform the recycled fabric into new promotional products.
The Challenge
The technical challenge facing CHX Products was significant. Preseli had partnered with SATCOL (the commercial arm of the Salvation Army) to process used lanyard fabric back into rPET pellets through their pioneering UK textile recycling plant. However, these recycled pellets were considerably more challenging to work with than CHX’s standard recycled and R+ biodegradable recycled materials.
The recycled rPET pellets from lanyards presented multiple manufacturing challenges:
- Much higher impurity levels compared to CHX’s standard recycled materials
- Inconsistent material properties due to residual dyes and inks from original lanyards
- Reduced strength characteristics that made them unsuitable for many applications
- Unpredictable flow rates during the injection moulding process
- Higher than normal temperatures required throughout the melt stages within the barrel of the injection moulding machine. Very specific temperatures at key points required to not only allow the material to flow but to mix in a consistent fashion.
- Material degrades rapidly if left in a molten state, so rapid moulding is required to obtain a product that doesn’t disintegrate soon after moulding.
Having refined their processes over years to ensure their recycled products look their best, CHX Products’ experience and expertise with challenging recycled materials was essential to achieve the best possible results from this particularly difficult polymer whilst maintaining product quality and developing a commercially viable manufacturing process that could scale to meet demand.
The Implementation
CHX Products approached this challenge with their characteristic commitment to innovation in sustainable manufacturing. The development process required extensive research and modification to standard injection moulding practices:
Material Development & Testing:
- Working closely with the recycled rPET pellets to understand their unique properties
- Adjusting working temperatures and machine speeds to accommodate the material’s flow characteristics
Tooling & Design Innovation:
- In-house manufactured tooling specifically for the recycled material
- Modifying mould designs to achieve optimal flow rates with the less pure rPET
- Larger than normal runners and gates to allow rapid flow of material
- Texture added to machined surfaces to disrupt the flow of material which helps cover surface imperfections due to the nature of rPET
Product Development:
In collaboration with Preseli, the CHX Products team developed the LAN-KEY Moulded RPET Keyring as the flagship product for this recycled material. This keyring was designed to showcase its sustainable origins with “UK MADE FROM RECYCLED LANYARDS” prominently displayed. Creating a durable, long-lasting promotional product that integrates seamlessly into Preseli’s stock range.
The Result
The LAN-KEY Moulded RPET Keyring is the UK promotional industry’s first product manufactured from recycled lanyards. The project demonstrated successful development of injection moulding processes for impure recycled rPET material whilst maintaining CHX’s quality standards.
The success of this project has established CHX Products as a key partner in Preseli’s recycling programme, with the LAN-KEY keyring now available to distributors across the promotional industry. By transforming waste lanyards into new promotional products, the project diverts materials from landfill whilst creating products with extended lifespans that can themselves be recycled after use.
This project positions CHX Products as the go-to partner for complex recycled material projects and reinforces their reputation as injection moulding specialists who can pioneer development of planet-friendly products for the promotional industry.
