OPRL consortium wins £150k Innovate UK funding for packaging data to drive sustainability

The consortium aims to address the lack of comprehensive, up-to-date data on the recyclability of packaging and where it can be recycled.

OPRL and its consortium partners will deliver next generation data services for decision makers in businesses, government and regulators, including a feasibility study and prototype data services on plastic packaging and its recyclability.

The partners collaborating on the project include Ecosurety, Dsposal, RECOUP and Open Data Manchester. The Innovate UK funding is crucial in enabling the specialist and innovative not-for-profits to work together with enterprising compliance scheme Ecosurety to develop common data resources that deliver public benefits rather than commercial profit.

Supporting better decision-making

The partnership will investigate how to support businesses, government and consumers to make better decisions on plastic packaging. For businesses it will provide accurate and useful data at the design stage and in the development of packaging to improve recyclability.

The project will also support policy makers, regulators and those co-ordinating sector initiatives in monitoring progress on plastics recycling and voluntary agreements such as The UK Plastics Pact.

Importantly, it will also enable consumers to understand how to recycle correctly and make informed choices at the point of purchase, with one third of consumers now checking packaging recyclability when making purchasing decisions.

With each partner bringing particular expertise in open data sourcing and data warehousing, packaging data, plastic packaging design and recyclability, the consortium will develop a prototype Open Data standard, a portal providing packaging type, polymer and recycling information, and a supporting portal with data on all UK recycling points, HRWC and kerbside services.

The funding focuses on plastic packaging specifically, but the principles established will enable extension to other materials in future to provide a comprehensive single point of reference. The project is due to complete in November 2022.