Improving the management of plastic packaging waste

Multidimensional Value Metrics for Assessing England's Plastic Packaging System and Monitoring Associated Targets

The project was carried out in collaboration with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and aimed to improve the management of plastic packaging waste. It mapped out and examined the plastic packaging system in England, and identified ‘intelligent’ new metrics that can be used for monitoring and assessing progress against Government targets. The project employed the Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery (CVORR) approach in supporting the selection of metrics that are easy to understand by policy-makers and easy for citizens to see why they matter in a policy context. CVORR is a systems of systems approach and a methodology for monitoring progress within a network of interconnected systems. The project's report titled "Plastic Packaging - How do we get to where we want to be?" has been published on the DEFRA website in order to disseminate the findings broadly to UK local authorities.

The research report helped policy makers gain a better understanding of the plastic packaging system and how it operates including where inefficiencies arise in the system. It brought into the spotlight the concept of ‘producer responsibility’ for plastic waste, which has given DEFRA tangible evidence that the private sector is capturing value within the plastic packaging waste system at the expense of local authorities. This supports arguments and strategies that the producers should pay more than they currently do (e.g. via a taxation on production). The metrics recommended in the report are under consideration by Defra which is working on incorporating some of these into their new strategy with regard to recycling plastic packaging. The project has further helped DEFRA develop its strategy on environmental impact, specifically on litter and fly-tipping, and are using the report as evidence when reporting on their responsibilities to regulatory authorities.

Meet the Principal Investigator(s) for the project

Dr Eleni Iacovidou - I am a Professor of Environmental Management and Director of the Centre for Pollution Research and Policy (CPRP) at Brunel University of London. I develop sustainable solutions for resources and waste management, focusing on circular economy strategies and sustainability assessment. My research asks how materials, components, and products can stay in use at their highest value for as long as possible, rather than becoming waste. At the heart of my work is the Complex Value Optimisation for Resource Recovery (CVORR+) framework and toolkit, a systems-based decision-making framework I developed to examine challenges from a whole-system perspective rather than in isolated parts. It helps pinpoint where targeted interventions can deliver the greatest value and impact across the value chain. Because resource recovery is never only a technical problem, I consider its social, economic, political and cultural dimensions alongside the environmental and engineering ones. The aim is to develop solutions that are technically sound, socially inclusive and able to accelerate the transition to sustainability. My research centres on five key areas: Plastics and plastic packaging systems – assessing sustainable pathways to circularity Textiles – advancing waste prevention, reuse and repair Food loss and waste – addressing challenges in sustainable consumption and recovery Construction products and components – promoting reuse and modular design Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) – advancing repair, reuse and circular strategies In addition, I examine the effects of technological, market and regulatory lock-ins, the role of stakeholders in sustainability transitions, and the impacts of informal recycling systems on society and the environment. I am also exploring how waste infrastructure can be tailored to local needs and how digital technologies can enable product and component traceability across the value chain. The ultimate goal of my research is to provide systemic, integrated sustainability assessments that support evidence-based policymaking, guide industry innovation and foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

Related Research Group(s)

Sustainable Plastics - SPLaSH group combines the strengths of social scientists in the Department of Social and Political Sciences with colleagues working in the area of plastic pollution from Environmental Sciences, Design, Business & Marketing, and Engineering. We are leading experts on behaviour change, public health protection, resource and waste management, governance aspects and sustainability design.

Pollution Research and Policy - Predictive approaches in toxicology, including combined chemical exposures and development of new frameworks for non-animal approaches for predicting toxicity; Endocrine disruptor research with an emphasis on mechanisms of disease and test method development; Pollution monitoring, clean-up technologies and chemical analytics.

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Project last modified 09/01/2024