From brands to retailers, packaging designers to manufacturers, it seems that everyone involved in the global plastics industry wants to reduce the impact of plastic on the environment. And ensuring that plastic packaging can be recycled plays a big part in that.

One stumbling block has been that vital knowledge – about what makes plastic packaging recyclable – has not found its way from the recyclers themselves to other organisations in the supply chain. As the world’s oldest plastics trade association, the British Plastics Federation (BPF), was ideally placed to look across the entire plastic supply chain and see where the problem lay. The BPF’s member companies, representing over 80% of the UK plastics industry by turnover, include polymer suppliers and packaging manufacturers at one end through to plastics recyclers at the other.

According to Alex Harris, Head of Marketing at the BPF,

“though useful guides to making recyclable plastic packaging do exist, we found that in practice there were gaps in who these were reaching, and how effectively they were being understood.”

“It’s an interesting mix of teams involved in determining the final packaging design,” said Alex. “Branding teams may care about styles and colour, purchasing teams care about cost, and some specialists focus on ensuring the filling line [where the product is ’filled’ into the packaging] can accommodate the packaging dimensions. We wanted to reach this wide range of people directly and instruct them on the key factors that mattered to ensure packaging was easy to recycle, in an interactive, engaging format that would stick in their memory.”

With support from the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge, and working closely with Brian Lodge, UK Design Director at Berry Global, the BPF has now created two online courses, showing how plastic packaging can be made recyclable, more resource-efficient and easier to re-use. The courses are for all the organisations that have an influence on plastic packaging design, including brands, manufacturers and retailers.

As Alex explained:

“We conducted an initial mapping exercise to see who the key decision makers were along the supply chain. We realised that we needed the information to be really visual, and broken down into digestible stages.”

Of the two online courses – which can be found at www.polymercourses.com – one is focused on basic principles of sustainable design for plastic packaging. It gives practical tips for making a piece of plastic packaging recyclable, which can be as simple as using labels that are made of the same material as the body, using glues that are soluble, and avoiding small pieces of plastic that might fall through holes in the tumbling sieve in recycling plants.

The second course focuses more on the wider issues that are at stake in the drive to reduce plastic packaging waste. It covers a range of environmental topics, including the principles of eco-design.

The courses are already being used by brands and retailers across the UK, with sustainable design practices being integrated into their decision-making at every level. Staff at six of the top 10 leading UK supermarkets – and five of the world’s biggest brand-owners (representing over 370 high street brands) – have now taken a course, alongside members of universities, local authorities, research organisations and government departments. As of January 2022, 653 people have completed the course, with 131 delegates living outside of the UK, across 35 countries, including Hong Kong, El Salvador and Kenya.

For Alex Harris, the BPF’s courses, which have been shortlisted for a number of training and development, eco-design and recycling awards, are a good example of how an industry can use its own expertise to improve its sustainability.

“We’re extremely happy with the global reach of this initiative, and the impact that this is going to have on how packaging is designed around the world. Without the support from UK Research and Innovation, this just would not have been possible.”

Alex Harris, Head of Marketing, BPF