{"id":105733,"date":"2024-09-16T09:55:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T06:25:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/?p=105733"},"modified":"2024-09-24T09:24:49","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T05:54:49","slug":"getting-to-grips-with-the-latest-in-sustainability-and-plastics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/getting-to-grips-with-the-latest-in-sustainability-and-plastics\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to GRIPS with the latest in sustainability and plastics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iranpolymer\/Baspar\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>Innovate UK Business Connect UK Circular Plastics network founder Sally Beken and British Plastics Federation sustainability manager Helen Jordan talk to Interplas\u00a0about sustainability, the future of plastics and why the two organisations chose to partner on an upcoming conference.<\/p>\n

Q. What do you think the most pressing issues are today regarding sustainability and plastic?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HJ:\u00a0For many years now, plastic has been in the spotlight \u2013 understandably. But it is important that there is a focus on the sustainable use of plastic \u2013 backed by sound science. A key part of this is how it is managed at end of life and ensuring there is the infrastructure to enable effective recycling but also considering higher up the waste hierarchy as well. A big piece of our work at the BPF involves explaining the benefits \u2013 and necessity \u2013 of the material and the many opportunities plastic offers in terms of reaching sustainability and net zero goals, including product preservation and light-weighting –\u00a0but also its key role in renewable energy.<\/p>\n

SB:\u00a0Plastic is a versatile material but it has to be used and managed correctly \u2014 it has to be dealt with appropriately when products are no longer needed. We rely upon it for medical devices, packaging, electronic technology, transport, packaging, to provide green energy \u2013 and so much more. Using plastic where it is needed while minimising the amount that ends up in landfill or as energy from waste remains the focus of many organisations today. It\u2019s about getting the balance right and making changes based on data-driven evidence.<\/p>\n

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Q. Will reuse play a big role in a more sustainable future, in your opinion?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HJ:\u00a0It is likely to play a bigger role than it does today, particularly with the targets in the Plastic Packaging Waste regulations (PPWR) which, although not directly applicable to the UK, are still likely to have an impact. However, it still faces many challenges and it is hard to understand the precise form it will take. Reuse or refill systems need to have a lower environmental impact than single use options, while also being convenient and addressing hygiene and safety concerns.<\/p>\n

SB:\u00a0It is important to respect the waste hierarchy \u2013 and reuse sits above recycling. But, as mentioned already, numerous factors need to be overcome for a reuse system to be viable on a large scale. There is a lot to be done to change consumer behaviour\/acceptance of new systems and the move to reusable packaging needs to be a just transition that benefits all.\u00a0 Finally, reusable packaging itself should be recyclable at the end of its life \u2013 it will not last forever.<\/p>\n

Q. Explain the story behind GRIPS.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HJ: After various discussions, the BPF and Innovate UK decided to partner on the 2024 event, as we thought the expertise and audience of our two organisations could help the event to evolve. Sustainability is only growing in importance. To underscore the event\u2019s place as a hub where industry and academia meet, we are holding the event at the University of Sheffield (hosted by the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures). There will be around 60 speakers at this one-day event, spread across three rooms.<\/p>\n

SB:\u00a0For many organisations wanting to make plastics more sustainable there is often a lack of understanding about the rest of the supply chain.\u00a0 It\u2019s this broad understanding that underpins effective system change \u2014 and what better way for us to undertake knowledge transfer than get these people in the same room discussing change? GRIPS is an event and the acronym stands for Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability. It was first held in 2021 as a virtual exhibition. It had 186 speakers and 3,106 registered to attend from around the world. It was organised and run by Innovate UK KTN (now Innovate UK Business Connect), supported by UKRI and hosted by the UK Circular Plastics Network.<\/p>\n

GRIPS was held again as an online event the following year and attracted 2,000 people. In 2023 it was held as an in-person conference, with three separate conference streams. Around 1,000 people attended.<\/p>\n

Q. What\u2019s unique about GRIPS 2024?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HJ: GRIPS really brings together a diverse range of people interested in sustainability and plastics. This year\u2019s event is being supported by the Worshipful Company of Horners due to a generous gift from\u202fJane Williams, in memory of her husband\u202fDavid\u202fWilliams, a former president of the BPF and past Master of The Worshipful Company of Horners. The event is also being kindly sponsored by Plastics Europe. This has meant the event remains completely free to attend. There will also be a small number of exhibitors. If you are interested in supporting this event, please contact the BPF events team.<\/p>\n

SB: The breadth of GRIPS is what makes it really special. So much is covered at a single event that it is a great place to learn about the latest developments when it comes to plastic recycling, improving sustainability for plastics manufacturers or embedding sustainable thinking into companies. We also have a broad audience, including manufacturers, NGOs, students, academics and government representatives. People can register to attend online too \u2013 so it has global reach. However, we will only be livestreaming talks from the main conference hall. So, we encourage people to attend in person if they can. I find it\u2019s a fantastic event for networking and becoming system aware!<\/p>\n

GRIPS 2024 takes place 19 September at Sheffield University\u2019s building The Wave. If you wish to learn more about GRIPS 2024, visit\u00a0iuk.ktn-uk.org\/events\/grips-2024<\/a><\/p>\n

interplasinsights<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iranpolymer\/Baspar\u00a0 Innovate UK Business Connect UK Circular Plastics network founder Sally Beken and British Plastics Federation sustainability manager Helen Jordan talk to Interplas\u00a0about sustainability, the future of plastics and why the two organisations chose to partner on an upcoming conference. Q. What do you think the most pressing issues are today regarding sustainability and plastic?\u00a0 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":105734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[57259,55809,57260,1021,1444,1158],"class_list":["post-105733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-green-energy","tag-grips-2024","tag-horners","tag-packaging","tag-plastic","tag-sustainability"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/polymervapooshesh.ir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}