Sheffield recycling firm in line for two national awards as turnover rises from £3m to £23m
Sheffield’s Vantage Waste Solutions has been named a finalist in two categories at the ATF Pro Awards, after a year that saw its turnover rise from £3m to £23m.
The firm, which specialises in recycling vehicle components, is competing for both the Solutions Innovation and Sustainability awards in recognition of its growth and environmental achievements.
Vantage began in 2001 as a modest mail-order operation, selling reusable parts from scrapped cars. Early on, the company identified a critical gap: there was no safe disposal method for old airbags, which contain hazardous explosive charges. In response, the business pioneered its own recycling process for airbags, setting the foundation for its future expansion.
Now, 25 years since its founding, Vantage works with nearly 30 leading car manufacturers and serves over 2,500 sites throughout the UK. The company manages its own vehicle fleet to collect waste and processes materials at its Sheffield facility, which is licensed to handle up to 70,000 tonnes per year.
The Solutions Innovation shortlist highlights Vantage's automated production line, a recent investment that enabled the substantial increase in capacity and turnover. Meanwhile, the Sustainability nomination reflects the firm’s approach to ensuring that every item it handles is diverted from landfill. The company recovers metals, plastics, and fabrics from outdated car parts, including electric vehicle batteries, and supplies the recycled content back to the automotive industry.
Ben Clarke, Managing Director, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be shortlisted twice. This recognition belongs to our team here in Sheffield, who have worked hard through a year of huge growth. We began by fixing one problem nobody else wanted to tackle, and we’re still doing that today, just on a much bigger scale and with nothing going to landfill.”
The winners of the ATF Pro Awards will be revealed at a ceremony at Coventry Building Society Arena on Thursday, November 26.