Five ambitious new projects have been announced that will help to deliver a step change in the sustainability of plastics.
£6 million in funding will underpin this work with the aim of cutting the huge environmental damage that plastics cause, as well as increasing their longevity in use and boosting their value.
Led by UK universities, these multidisciplinary three-year projects will target:
- easier recycling of multilayer food packaging, of plastics incorporated in textiles, and of plastics used in pregnancy and other medical tests
- greener production, use and disposal of hygiene products such as disposable nappies and incontinence pads
- the breaking down of used plastics into their chemical components for reuse in producing high-quality new plastics
