There is an urgent global need to devise better strategies to recycle plastics. It is estimated that a total of 8300 million metric tonnes of plastics have been produced to date yet, incredibly, more than 40 years after the launch of the recycling symbol, less than 10% of waste plastics that have been manufactured are recycled. The rest are either poured into landfill, burned to produce CO2 and other harmful gases or, worst of all, discarded into the environment. Plastics will continue to be critical in addressing the growing demands of our society and to eradicate them as a whole is not a realistic solution. A key challenge therefore is fully and effectively dealing with the waste plastics that we generate. Better end-of-life options for plastic waste are urgently required. A key challenge in plastic recycling is addressing complex plastics wastes, exemplified by multilayer films and blends in which the components cannot be readily separated by mechanical means or in which the specific combinations cause problems in the leading chemical recycling methodologies. WRAP's Plastic Flow 2025 report estimates that, after bottles, film is the next largest consumer plastic packaging format (395kt in 2017) of which just 4% was recycled, making this an important technological target. Hence the development of a technology that can complement existing mechanical and chemical methods would be advantageous in areas where current methods may not be possible to apply - to either help address the most challenging plastic waste streams in their entirety or to provide cleaner, more valuable, waste streams for existing processes. This work proposes to develop 'catalytic chemical sorting'. The different chemistry of different polymer backbones in different plastics means that the reactivity of the specific functional groups can be leveraged to selectively depolymerise one polymer in the presence of another, including from mixtures and blends. Extension of this concept would enable the sequential, selective depolymerisation of complex plastic wastes. In order to achieve this, we will fundamentally advance catalytic systems for depolymerisation using a hybrid computational and experimental approach to identify and develop lead systems that can achieve selectivity and be tolerant of the complexities of real plastic wastes, such as additives, impurities, contaminants and implicit polymer mixtures within the same plastic. This project is focussed on the development of the understanding and fundamental application of catalysis to this challenge, however, given the importance of plastic recycling, the research will be guided by insights from our project partners such that on completion of the project, the scientific approach is suitable for development towards industry-specific challenges using the chemistry and computational tools that have been developed.

The linear economy of plastic packaging is damaging productivity and growth. The UK is the second largest producer of plastic waste per person in the world, with single-use plastic packaging accounting for half of this waste. Only 10% of plastic in the UK is recycled and it is becoming widely accepted that there is a need for alternative packaging solutions. Converting 20% of plastic packaging into reuse models represents a $10 billion business opportunity. However there is concern that current reusable packaging offerings are not suitable for the mainstream market and that they are only attracting niche 'eco-conscious' consumers with a high disposable income. AIM This research aims to develop and evaluate novel Circular Economy business models to deliver reusable packaging products and services for Fast Moving Consumer Goods (e.g. food, drink, beauty and homecare products), that are inclusive i.e. accessible and usable for the maximum range of consumers. Hence it seeks to build an inclusive Circular Economy for packaging that supports social equity and prosperity, as well as economic productivity and growth. APPROACH The project adopts a multi-level and participatory approach that integrates the economic concept of the micro, meso and macro level, as well as Product-Service System business model frameworks. It partners with stakeholders from the packaging value chain, including: Tesco, the largest UK supermarket that has trialled returnable packaging for a range of products; Procter & Gamble (P&G), a brand and manufacturer of beauty and homecare products that has trialled refillable packaging; Institute for Grocery Distribution, an industry body for the grocery and retail sector; WRAP, a non-profit-organisation that leads the UK Plastic Pact; Green Alliance, an environmental non-profit-organisation that has led enquiries on reusable packaging. The project will be structured around 3 work packages: 1. WP1 (micro-level) will focus on how consumers experience reusable packaging systems. Adopting an inclusive design approach, it will identify a range of consumer access- and use-oriented barriers and drivers of reusable packaging, by combining a case study analysis of reusable packaging trials (including data supplied by Tesco and P&G), a consumer survey, and consumer focus groups. 2. WP2 (meso- and macro-level) will identify the broader factors in the UK packaging value chain and macro-socioeconomic context that constrain and enable reusable packaging solutions. It will combine an evidence-based systems analysis and interview study with stakeholders from across the packaging value chain, to determine the barriers and drivers to reusable packaging systems. 3. WP3 (Product-Service Systems) will integrate findings from WP1 and WP2 to develop inclusive Circular Economy business models to deliver reusable packaging products and services that are accessible and usable for a maximum range of consumers. The research will define the value proposition, value creation and delivery, and, value capture. Three business models will be developed to represent each of the following product categories: food and drink; household; and, beauty and personal care. Codesign methods will be used to develop and validate solutions. IMPACT 1. Contribute to the reduction of single-use plastic packaging, via the development and validation of three circular business models for reusable packaging. 2. Enhance economic productivity and growth via the development of a viable business case for reusable packaging, developed in collaboration with industry partners. 3. Enhance social equity and inclusion through the development of inclusive circular business models and the participation of users in focus groups and co-design workshops. 4. Policy enablement though the engagement of industry stakeholders and a stakeholder report. 5. Increased scientific understanding via academic publications, stakeholder consultations and a stakeholder report.

Our seminar series aims to understand and improve UK consumers' decisions about nutrition, food safety, and food waste. Our goals align with DEFRA, the Food and Agricultural Organisation and others who use the modern view of 'food security' for developed countries, by defining it as access to food that is nutritious, affordable, safe, and sustainable, while producing minimum waste. Better food safety and reduced food waste are also high priority for the EU. Improvement is needed because (1) foodborne illnesses amount to 17 mln cases per year in the UK, including 20,000 hospitalizations and 500 deaths; (2) warnings about food risks can cause undue alarm and increase food waste; (3) UK domestic food waste is 7 mln tonnes per year, of which 4.2 mln tonnes is deemed preventable; (4) Fresh food is more nutritious but also more perishable, potentially affecting food safety and food waste; (5) UK consumers are increasingly making unhealthy food choices, contributing to 62% of UK adults being overweight or obese, and leading to health problems that cost the NHS more than £5 billion per year. Our seminar series is timely and novel because it follows calls to better understand and inform the complex decisions consumers face about nutrition, food safety, and food waste. We aim to identify strategies that help consumers to achieve nutritious food choices that both improve food safety and reduce food waste. Our seminar series has been designed by our team of practitioners and academics, with the goal of achieving the best impact. Our practitioner team members come from the Food Standards Agency which aims to improve food safety and healthy eating, as well as at the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) which aims to reduce food waste. Our academic team members come from the University of Leeds Centre for Decision Research and the Human Appetite Research Unit who are experts in consumer food choice, domestic food waste, and risk communication, as well as from the NewCastle University Food and Society Group at the School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development who are experts in food safety and risk communication. Through 9 seminars to be held over 3 years, we will create a lasting network of users and academics who have mostly been working separately on these different topics to date. We have confirmed academic and practitioner speakers from across the UK and overseas who are key experts in the relevant domains. Seminars will be hosted at and promoted by participating universities and practitioner agencies, thus drawing diverse audiences. We will fund the travel of junior researchers and PhD students, for whom participation provides a unique opportunity for creating new networks and research ideas. Our project will identify strategies for helping consumers to improve food safety and reduce food waste. The PI and her team of users and academics will build on their international connections to share our findings at meetings with academics, users, consumers, and other interested parties worldwide. Our findings will be summarized in joint review papers that represent practitioner and academic experiences with developing effective strategies for helping consumers with food-related decisions. Our project website will provide public access to recordings and presentation slides from our seminar series, with information for academics, users and consumers about how to improve food safety and reduce food waste. Academics and users will work together to write joint grant proposals, with the goal of designing, implementing and testing the most promising strategies, thus identifying the best ways for helping consumers to make healthier, safer, and less wasteful food choices.

When devices such as computers, smart phones and batteries are sent for recycling not all of the materials are captured for use in new devices. The metals are most likely to be recycled because they are easy to separate and their methods of recycling are well established. Specialist coatings often made with rare and expensive materials enable our modern electronics to work. However these coatings often cause problems when it comes to recycling, they can mean that the metals are more contaminated and so these coatings are often burnt off, causing pollution and adding cost to the recycling process. It also means that the expensive cleverly engineered coating has been lost and its value not realised. TReFCo aims to develop a low cost method for removing these coatings so that they can be reused to make new devices. This will have multiple benefits; it will mean that valuable raw materials are kept within the supply chain, supporting the UK economy. It will also mean that the materials that they were coated on are cleaner prior to their recycling process ensuring a purer recycled product at a lower cost. The method employed by TReFCo will be to subject the coatings to near infrared radiation to burn the binder (glue) that holds the coating in place without damaging the coating material or the substrate material. TReFCo will also develop new adhesives that will 'unglue' when exposed to near infrared radiation, making it easier (and cheaper) to take devices apart before they are recycled. This could also be used within a repair process. In addition to the technical developments during the project a lifecycle analysis will be undertaken - this will ensure that researchers fully understand the environmental costs of producing materials and recycling them. Identifying any areas that are environmentally damaging in order that they can be avoided by material design or by changing the processing methods. In all the aim of the project is to make the possibility of a truly circular economy one step closer to being a reality.

Part 2 of Summary:- The development of the UK's first Circular Economy Observatory to provide a digital systems view of national resource flows as a foundation for modelling and quantifying potential benefits, opportunities and interventions to inform and influence national leadership and industrial decision-making, - An inclusive and diverse multidisciplinary community of academics, industrialists, government, policymakers and end-users. The CE-HUB will foster a safe environment to inspire and support new collaborations, mentorship, early-career research and feasibility testing across disciplines and resource flows. - The co-creation of a National Repository of Knowledge and shared understanding. We will draw together our extensive community to develop novel methods, tools, approaches and metrics that can overcome barriers to progress. We will use our informed position to influence and accelerate future research directions and create a long-term vision and road map for an inclusive, competitive and circular industrial strategy. The CE-HUB will house a unique national online repository of knowledge, tools, expertise, and initiatives. - The formation of the first National Circular Skills and Training Platform through which students, early career researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and employers will be able to match requirements in skills to existing and emerging educational offerings. - The co-creation of the first National Circular Economy brand to forge the way in the global advocacy of the Circular Economy. We will develop a recognised, distinctive standard or charter for those who lead the way in its delivery; changing the future of organisational values and behaviours. The CE-HUB will provide stakeholders nationally and internationally with a central point of reference for Circular Economy research and practise. It will be the first national research hub of its kind to lead support for Circular Economy practices, track materials and waste, develop novel and innovative approaches to feed legacy materials, by-products and waste into value-creating activities and engage stakeholder communities though compelling narratives for improved understanding of the principles of circular economy.