Pains Wessex launches sustainable Flare Kit Refill Packs

22/04/2022

New sustainable Flare Kit Refill Packs have been launched by Pains Wessex. Customers can now purchase flare packs without a plastic polybottle in the Inshore Flare Pack, Coastal Flare Pack and Offshore Flare Pack. Instead, the packs include a 100 per cent sustainable, eco-friendly, biodegradable, compostable and recyclable reinforced paper bag and a reused polybottle 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.

Combat unnecessary waste

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 on board, 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However, the paper bag can be used to return old, out-of-date flares to be responsibly disposed of by stores accepting expired pyrotechnics.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 with a polybottle. Each pack will still include the required or recommended smokes, hand flares and parachute rockets.

Wescom Group sales executive, Ally Ogg, says, “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.

“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but we realise that the polybottle does not need to be replaced every few years, it can be reused again – unlike out-of-date flares.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.”