The Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge aims to establish the UK as a leading innovator in smart and sustainable plastic packaging for consumer products. Its goals are to deliver cleaner growth across the supply chain, with a dramatic reduction in plastic waste entering the environment by 2025.
Through this competition, Innovate UK (IUK) is investing in research and development (R&D) projects with the potential to significantly impact the 2025 UK Plastic Pact targets in the long term, and address widely known problems related to plastic packaging for consumer products.
IUK has allocated up to £7 million to fund industrial research projects and experimental development projects in this competition. Grants are available from £200,000 to £4 million per project.
Projects can focus on one or more of the following:
- The minimising or reduction of plastic packaging.
- Packaging suitable for reuse, refill and online delivery.
- Sustainable solutions for film and flexibles.
- Food grade recycled polypropylene and polyethylene.
- Behaviour change leading to less packaging waste or higher recycling rates.
- Solutions which address the UK Plastics Pact target for problematic or unnecessary single use plastic packaging items.
The competition is open to single applicants and collaborations. UK registered businesses of any size can lead a project or work alone. To collaborate with the lead, the organisation must be a UK registered business, academic institution, charity, not-for-profit, public sector organisation, research organisation, or research and technology organisation (RTO).
How To Apply
Competition dates:
- Open: 18 May 2021
- Competition closing date: 8 September 2021 (11:00 BST)
Applicants are encouraged to read the general guidance for applicants to help their chances of submitting a quality application.
Those requiring more information should contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email [email protected]
More details can be accessed here
Useful documents & links
Useful Links
Addresses and contacts
For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
- Competitions Helpline
Innovate UK (IUK)
Polaris House
North Star Avenue
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN2 1FL
Tel: 0300 321 4357
Email: [email protected]