Innovate UK is inviting ambitious companies to participate in its Global Business Innovation Programme for sustainable plastics, which aims to help UK businesses innovating in this field to grow and scale on a global stage through building R&D and innovation collaborations and partnerships.
This engaging programme consists of a preparation phase followed by a 5-day innovation visit to India, a post-visit exploitation workshop, and support from an Innovate UK innovation and growth specialist – helping participating businesses to identify growth opportunities and develop innovation led collaborations with partners in the country.
India has a vibrant innovation ecosystem, an ambitious vision, and a need to meet the rapidly growing demands of the population. The country generates nearly 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day and in 2019, India’s plastic recycling rate stood at just 8%. To tackle this growing problem, India has ambitious targets to reach by 2030, which include:
- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable;
- 50% of plastic packaging to be effectively recycled; and
- 25% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
To support these ambitions, the GBIP programme with India will focus on key areas of innovation where the UK is leading the way in the field of circular plastics, including through Innovate UK and its Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge:
- Chemical and dissolution recycling technologies (particularly where films, flexibles and multi -layered plastic (MLP) are concerned)
- Transitioning from problematic plastic (particularly MLP) to more easily recycled plastic substances.
- Reuse and refill
- Data capture and management, to aid decision making and EPR regulation compliance.
- Mechanical sorting and recycling innovative technologies
- Creating additional value within the plastic recycling sector and considering end markets, such as recycled plastic back into food grade packaging.
The application deadline is 7th July 2024 and an applicant briefing event will be held on 11th June.
