The Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge has been developed with the aim to establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging for consumer products, delivering cleaner growth across the supply chain, with a significant reduction in plastic waste entering the environment by 2025.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the national funding agency investing in science and research in the UK, set up the £60million five year SSPP Challenge to make plastic packaging fit for a sustainable future. The SSPP Challenge will bring together academia and industry, and support the delivery of the UK plastics pact.
The SSPP Challenge is delivering on it’s aims through:
- Driving research and innovation to develop more sustainable plastic packaging materials and designs, enabling new recycling processes and infrastructure, and supporting meaningful reductions in plastic packaging by tackling barriers to reuse-and-refill supply models.
- Encouraging collaboration and innovation in integrated circular supply chains, addressing key barriers to change, and using insights into consumer behaviour to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic packaging.
- Sharing knowledge and learnings from funded projects to inform and underpin the development of a more sustainable plastic packaging supply chain.
The programme has a target of £149 million match funding from industry, with indications that it may raise in excess of £220 million in co-investment, demonstrating significant supply chain engagement and support. It’s also contributing to the creation of new jobs and skills across the UK, supporting the green skills and levelling up agendas.
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