UK – The UK Research and Innovation’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPP) has launched a £1.5 million (US$1.87m) challenge for liquid food and beverages in refillable packaging.
UKRI says its goal is to drive the adoption of reusable and refillable packaging by retailers, brands and consumers.
To participate, the business-led projects should demonstrate in-store refill systems for high-volume liquid products like dairy and non-dairy milks, juices, alcohol, soft drinks, and condiments.
Each project needs the backing of a large retail chain or brand and must conduct in-store trials in at least five stores for a duration of six months.
The competition runs until October 25, 2023 and full details of the scope and application process, as well as registration for the competition briefing webinar and details of further Innovate UK support for applicants, are available online.
Paul Davidson, SSPP Challenge Director, commented: “Supporting reuse and refill is critical to reducing single-use plastic packaging.
“For this competition, we are looking for bold and ambitious innovation proposals that can help to bring refill into the mainstream for everyday liquid products such as milk, soft drinks and sauces. It is about making it easy, convenient and cost-effective for consumers, retailers and the retail supply chain.”
The wider SSPP Challenge, backed by £60 million (US$74.91m) of funding, aims to develop sustainable plastic packaging solutions.
It is the most significant and ambitious UK government investment to date in sustainable plastics research and innovation and realizing the potential of reuse and refill is one of its priorities.
Fighting fashion’s footprint
Early last month, UKRI invested an additional £6 million (US$7.49m) to the previously announced £1.75 million (US$2.18m) for textile waste research project, to create three complementary networks of researchers which it claims will support the industry’s transition towards more sustainable practices.
The agency says that although the fashion and textile industry is estimated to be worth £21 billion (US$26.22bn) to the UK economy, and provides more than half a million jobs, the global sector is also responsible for an estimated 8% of greenhouse gas emissions and 20% of wastewater.
UKRI claims that fashion uses more energy than the aviation and shipping sectors combined. UKRI also believes that the complexity of the industry makes it difficult to understand its true impact on the environment.
UKRI has partnered with industry experts and other stakeholders to build a bank of data and knowledge and support innovation that helps move the industry towards sustainable circular business models.
Professor Peter Liss, interim executive chair of the Natural Environment Research Council, part of UKRI said: “We need to better understand the true impact. This investment will bring together industry experts and researchers in environmental science and fashion to embed sustainability in the fashion and textile industry.”
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