Northern Ireland manufacturer Brett Martin has pledged its commitment to cutting carbon with an innovative new roofing solution.

The Mallusk-based firm has launched a new plastic roofing product based on used cooking oil.

Called Marlon BioPlus, the new sheet offers a major carbon footprint reduction by cutting the use of fossil-based material by 70%. The raw material in the sheet is also produced with renewable energy, leading to an overall 84% decrease in carbon emissions.

Brett Martin's Marlon polycarbonate sheets are used throughout the UK and in worldwide markets in a wide variety of projects including high profile sports stadiums such as Twickenham, Old Trafford and the Etihad, and in commercial and industrial buildings.

Employing over 1,000 people in total and with sales of £220 million, Brett Martin is already one of Europe's largest plastic sheet producers for the construction industry, and the new range is expected to create strong demand from a construction market eager to reduce its environmental impact.

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Brett Martin Director Paul Martin said: "The drive for sustainable, carbon neutral plastic materials is progressing well, and our launch of Marlon BioPlus is the latest milestone in our journey to that end. Our extensive investment in renewable energy at our Mallusk site is unique in our industry and an important part of our plan. We extrude the sheet using energy generated from our own wind turbine and dedicated solar farm at Mallusk.

"This development of this new product reflects the newest technology in the plastic industry to introduce bio-based material. The process, known as mass-balancing, certifies the input of the material through the production system, similar to the way renewable energy enters the power grid. Importantly, the material is a recycled source and therefore the bio-based content does not compete with food production.

"And because the substitution occurs at the earliest stage of the resin production process, all the visual and mechanical properties of the finished sheet remain completely unchanged. So, we anticipate strong demand for the product which is soon to be available to the market globally and we will begin to see it being used in all kinds of buildings soon."