Government-backed programme drives plastic packaging sustainability

The Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge from UK Research & Innovation, delivered by research agency Innovate UK, has revealed its work has boosted the UK’s plastics recycling infrastructure.

It has enabled potential CO2e savings of more than 1.5 million tonnes between 2025 and 2030 as its funded projects come online and reach commercial scale.

The contribution of the £60 million Challenge to driving plastic packaging sustainability was detailed in a new report launched at a showcase event in London this week, celebrating its successful completion.

With a portfolio of over 80 funded projects, the aim of the million SSPP Challenge has been to drive cleaner growth across the UK’s plastics, packaging and retail supply chains.

As the Challenge concludes, it can also reveal it has successfully leveraged committed co-investment so far of circa £274m for innovative packaging solutions. It has also supported new domestic recycling infrastructure that has boosted UK-wide and regional growth and jobs as well as bringing together nearly 400 organisations across academia, industry, and the third sector to develop innovative recycling technologies, reuse and refill systems and more.

Projects supported by the challenge include Abel & Cole’s pioneering refillable milk bottles and reusable packaging trials with Aldi, Ocado and M&S.

Delivering the keynote address at the ceremony, Professor Margaret Bates, CEO of the recently launched UK packaging Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme administrator, PackUK, for Defra, said: “In line with the government’s commitment to work with industry to stimulate economic growth, the SSPP has harnessed the willingness of retailers, brands and the plastic packaging supply chain to engage and invest in innovation that supports resource efficiency and clean growth.”

Dr Paul Davidson, director of the SSPP Challenge, said: “There are still significant challenges ahead for the plastic packaging sector, but the progress that’s been made is a testament to the remarkable momentum behind plastic packaging innovation. The projects it has supported are changing the packaging landscape and making a real contribution to the UK’s clean growth agenda.”