In a circular economy, clean growth is achieved by increasing the value derived from existing and planned economic infrastructure, products and materials which in turn significantly reduces or eliminates negative externalities. Increased value can be achieved by maintaining the integrity of a product or material at a higher level, using products longer, cascading their use in adjacent value chains and designing pure, high quality feedstocks (avoiding contamination and toxicity). A circular economy approach to plastics addresses simultaneously the accumulation, impact and costs in the environment whilst maintaining applications for multiple high value purposes. To translate potential to reality requires new circular plastics systems that a) co-ordinate and integrate key system players and activities across the value chain b) are underpinned by rigorous scientific research evidence; c) promote novel and creative approaches to the circulation and cascading of plastics in society and; d) demonstrate and proof points in support of decision-making and action at varying s Ths proposal will connect excellent institutional research activities within a single highly visible Multidisciplinary Plastics Research Hub - "ExeMPlaR" led by the University of Exeter to provide the first stage in a comprehensive, systematic and coordinated approach to the formation of a novel and creative circular economies, using regional demonstrators in the SW of England to test a number of key building blocks. This will be based on system-oriented innovation and high quality inter-disciplinary and collaborative scientific research within a proven, cohesive circular economy framework to address both the cause(s) of the problems and efforts to solve them rather than just treating the symptoms. This research effort involves the demonstration of the technical feasibility and superior economic, material, health, environmental and social value of a circular economy system re-design against a current linear base case. Expert-led, technical solutions by themselves however are unlikely to be effective and require in addition a theory of change that connects human behaviours, social systems and structures with circular economy principles. ExeMPLaR will bring together business, policy, community, environmental, and media representatives with a shared 'narrative' (in this case , a new Circular Plastics Economy) values and ideas, to jointly identify and work on a complex set of activities and pilot projects, that together form an effective innovation ecosystem (WP1). EXeMPLaR will undertake a novel and creative approach to impact by applying the principles of networks of transformative change into a circular economy project. ExeMPLaR therefore focusses on the current plastic system and address the potential to create higher value from existing plastic flows, create new opportunities for regional design and closed loop manufacturing and community initiatives, reduce negative externalities and create networks for transformational change to co-design and support systems innovations required at regional scale. To achieve this vision many challenges have to be overcome. To start the process of creating effective regional plastics economies, ExeMPLaR will synthesise an authoritative evidence base to inform regional actions, interventions and evaluation. This will build on a wide range of world leading plastics research at Exeter. We will translate these findings into the first stage of an evaluation tool and apply these to three front runner regional interventions, and additional smaller projects co-designed and prioritized by our network, to test opportunities for re-using, replacing or eliminating certain categories of fossil fuel derived plastic. After testing the impacts, outcomes and value creation potential we will address the potential challenges and enablers to replication and scaling these interventions at regional and national scale.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem of plastics in the environment, impacting on waste management across the UK, EU and globally. We have seen increased demand for single use plastics for public health purposes, disruptions to the usual distribution pathways and variations in reuse, recycle and retention which are all vital to developing a circular economy. As countries begin to ease lockdown restrictions it is likely that citizens will face greater pressures in managing their waste with potentially more home based working, less travel and socialising and increased single use plastic packaging (e.g. medical equipment, customer avoidance of 'loose' retail products). An explosion of interest in the ongoing problem of plastic waste has seen a diverse range of solutions being proposed. Recently we completed the PRISM project (2015-18) with a number of industry leaders that has shown a real and sustainable proof of concept that promises to be a significant part of the solution to this problem. We will address the automatic sorting of waste plastic containers used in food and non-food grade applications as is partially done at waste recycling plants. Current automated near infra-red sorting techniques are unable to identify food grade from non-food grade packaging which consigns high value polymer resins into low grade; non food grade uses or worse still, landfill and incineration. We will enable a low cost labelling system suitable for commercialisation, to make this sorting a reality; support the long term viability for closed loop sorting of these materials (PP, PE, PET, e.g. plastic milk bottles, drinks containers to household detergent bottles). Previously our consortium demonstrated a labelling system that can be used for high speed sorting of various crushed plastic bottles at high belt speeds with high purity and high yield which has received a great deal of interest from global brands. To commercialise this proof of concept it is desirable to optimise the luminescent materials that will be taken forwards so we will develop a sustainable low cost luminescent marker system using low toxicity and environmentally safe materials, thus lowering any commercial barrier to enter the market. Once this technology is proven then we will be in a strong position to seek wide implementation of our technology and run full scale field trials with major brand owners facilitated through our NextlooPP partner. This transformative project will have the effect to reduce inappropriate plastics disposal and increase recycling rates by increasing the monetary value of the recycled material. This will address the Plastics Pacts objective of 30% recycled content by finalising the underpinning luminescent labelling technology to be implemented. Implementation of this technology into the NextlooPP process will facilitate the availability of rPP granules for food, cosmetics and lower grade applications thus reducing the demand for virgin polymer. Tackling the systemic problem of plastic waste effectively cannot be achieved through purely technical means and our research offers fresh insights into people's perspectives on recycling and how consumers (UK, Spain, Germany) engage with surface markers on plastic packaging in their households, a neglected but important site for managing waste. This project thus moves beyond the technical infrastructure of waste management and design of products to address people's perceptions and behaviour with plastic packaging in their every day life and how their perceptions and behaviour might have changed in light of COVID-19. This ambitious project will thus help position the UK at the forefront of innovation in sorting hard to recycle plastics and offers fresh insights by integrating technical, business, policy and consumer focused elements to ensure that we are in alignment with stake holders all across the plastic packaging supply chain.

As individuals, our daily routines rely on plastics in their many shapes and forms, whether as long lasting components of our homes and vehicles or as essential elements of important advances in medicine, water purification and infrastructure, or as packaging for cosmetics, food, drink, toiletries, cleaning products and healthcare products. These plastics are unrivalled materials: they are inexpensively synthesised, lightweight, recyclable and often deliver unmatchable performance. However, our love of plastics comes at a significant cost, as the environmental impact of these materials is massive, and growing. Genuinely sustainable plastics will need new forms of resource efficient materials, smart supply chains, and sustainable business practices, requiring holistic and integrated solutions. This proposal brings together diverse groups from across The University of Manchester to tackle this grand challenge of plastic waste. We seek solutions to the challenge of plastics pollution through an integrated approach that explicitly couples Manchester's strength in sociotechnological understanding and influence to our industry-guided solutions across chemistry, safety, materials, engineering and social sciences. The goal is to create a concerted, focussed consortium of diverse individuals who will lead stakeholder conversations, pitch multi-disciplinary projects that build from our strengths, and incubate these projects into translatable solutions. Through these collaborative efforts we will develop 6-12 projects building from our diverse expertise in urban recycling, sustainable business models, invisible plastic waste, valorising waste plastic streams, and new degradable polymers, and through them aim to: i) reduce the need for plastic by addressing demand, ii) improve the materials used to deliver better performance and clean degradation, iii) demonstrate new methods for recycling soft and mixed plastics/non-plastic films (currently very difficulty) and removal of micro plastics from source; and iv) create smart circular economies that allow users to take ownership of and reduce plastic waste. A multidisciplinary team of researchers at The University of Manchester will lead a portfolio of projects to tackle this grand challenge. Activities will be aligned with the first-of-its-kind Greater Manchester plan to drive down single-use plastics by 2020 and use the city-region as a living lab to innovate at speed and deploy solutions at scale.

Catalysis is a core area of science that lies at the heart of the chemicals industry - an immensely successful and important part of the overall UK economy, where in recent years the UK output has totalled over £50B annually and is ranked 7th in the world. This position is being maintained in the face of immense competition worldwide. For the UK to sustain its leading position it is essential that innovation in research is maintained, to achieve which the UK Catalysis Hub was established in 2013; and has succeeded over the last four years in bringing together over 40 university groups for innovative and collaborative research programmes in this key area of contemporary science. The success of the Hub can be attributed to its inclusive and open ethos which has resulted in many groups joining its network since its foundation in 2013; to its strong emphasis on collaboration; and to its physical hub on the Harwell campus in close proximity to the Diamond synchrotron, ISIS neutron source and Central Laser Facility, whose successful exploitation for catalytic science has been a major feature of the recent science of the Hub. The next phase of the Catalysis Hub will build on this success and while retaining the key features and structure of the current hub will extend its programmes both nationally and internationally. The core activities to which the present proposal relates include our coordinating activities, comprising our influential and well attended conference, workshop and training programmes, our growing outreach and dissemination work as well as the core management functions. The core catalysis laboratory facilities within the research complex will also be maintained and developed and two key generic scientific and technical developments will be undertaken concerning first sample environment and high throughput capabilities especially relating to facilities experimentation; and secondly to data management and analysis. The core programme will coordinate the scientific themes of the Hub, which in the initial stages of the next phase will comprise: - Optimising, predicting and designing new catalysts - Water - energy nexus - Catalysis for the Circular Economy and Sustainable Manufacturing - Biocatalysis and biotransformations The Hub structure is intrinsically multidisciplinary including extensive input from engineering as well as science disciplines and with strong interaction and cross-fertilisation between the different themes. The thematic structure will allow the Hub to cover the major areas of current catalytic science