FPF FlexCollect wins Sustainability Initiative of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards

The Flexible Plastic Fund’s FlexCollect project has been named Sustainability Initiative of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards 2026, recognising its role in creating a practical, evidence-led blueprint for flexible plastic packaging collections in the UK.

Held at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 7 July, The Grocer Gold Awards celebrate excellence across the FMCG industry, spotlighting the businesses, brands and initiatives driving progress across the sector.

The award recognises the impact of FlexCollect and the significance of its findings for the FMCG industry, as the UK prepares for mandatory flexible plastic collections from 2027.

Tackling one of the most under-recycled packaging formats

Launched in 2022, FPF FlexCollect was the UK’s largest kerbside collection and recycling trial for flexible plastic packaging, such as plastic bags, films and wrapping. The project was delivered by the Flexible Plastic Fund – a collaborative fund managed by Ecosurety and involving 15 renowned UK consumer goods’ manufacturers, including five founding partners; Mars UK, Mondelez International, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever.

Flexible plastic packaging is lightweight and widely used to protect products, but it has historically been challenging to recycle at scale. FlexCollect was created to understand how these materials could be added to existing household recycling collections in a way that is affordable and scalable.

Over three years, the project worked with 10 pilot local authorities across more than 160,000 households, collecting over 400 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging. The findings were collated in the final FlexCollect report, launched at the Houses of Parliament in September 2025. The report sets out a clear blueprint for adding flexible plastic packaging to household recycling collections.

By providing robust data on collection systems, resident participation, sorting requirements, costs and end markets, FlexCollect has created valuable evidence for industry and government ahead of Simpler Recycling reforms, which will require flexible plastic packaging to be collected from households and workplaces from March 2027.

‘Blown away by the scale and value of the project’s efforts’

The Grocer Gold Awards judges said they were 'blown away' by the scale and value of the project’s efforts, highlighting the potential of FlexCollect to shape the future policy landscape for flexible plastic recycling.

The judges commented that the project ‘has the potential to transform the policy landscape, delivering a positive, cost-effective pathway for change.’ The judges reflected that FlexCollect was ‘underpinned by a number of core, commercially validated actions that government and the industry can put into practice to tackle a genuinely urgent issue.’

Robbie Staniforth, Chief Policy and Impact Officer commented:

What’s the next step?

Building on the momentum of FlexCollect, the Flexible Plastic Fund recently launched FlexCircular, its next major initiative. FlexCircular will explore the investment, infrastructure and market conditions needed to move from collection to recycling and full-system circularity for flexible plastic packaging in the UK. Find out more about the FlexCircular project here.