The funding for the scheme is part of the government's new Industrial Strategy, which aims to boost productivity and build a strong economy following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, including by investing in science and research for the development of new technologies, such as new batteries, 5G connectivity and boosting the UK space industry. Areas given particular focus in the strategy include four 'Grand Challenges', one of which is clean growth.
Now the government has announced that – through UK Research and Innovation – it will dedicate £60m in funding to technological solutions to reducing plastic waste. Businesses hoping to make use of this funding will enter into a partnership with the government to invest in the challenge.
According to a statement, this money could be used to develop new types of recycled packaging and plastic made from waste, such as beet, wood chippings and food waste; smart packaging labels, which inform consumers where to throw their waste; "live" use-by date patches, which show consumers when their food is going off; and to increase the use of recycled plastics.
"Finding innovative solutions to tackle our use of harmful plastics, which blight our land and seas, is a major global challenge and opportunity – one our nation of researchers and innovators is fit to seize," said Claire Perry, the minister for energy and clean growth.
"Today's funding and sector strategy enhances our position as a global leader on improving our environment and tackling climate change. It will make us a beacon for design, manufacturing and exporting of sustainable plastics and environmentally-friendly replacements for polluting products as we move to a greener, cleaner economy – a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy."
Last year, UK sales of packaging totalled £11bn, and the government has estimated that this funding could help boost the sector by £500m while increasing its sustainability.
There is estimated to be over 150 million tonnes of plastics already in the world's oceans, with this quantity growing year-on-year and the volume expected to treble by 2025. The UK government has taken some steps towards reducing plastic waste, including with the introduction of a 5p plastic bag charge in large shops – which has seen the distribution of plastic bags fall by almost 90 per cent – and a ban on plastic microbeads, which came into force in January this year. Prime Minister Theresa May has also announced that "avoidable" plastic waste will be phased out by 2042; a target which has been criticised by environmental groups for being unambitious.
Meanwhile, in May, the European Commission proposed phasing out of a number of abundant single-use plastics, including plastic cotton buds and cutlery.
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