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Prototyping Solutions. Findings from the third UK SIMBIO social innovation lab – and SIMBIO project implications
Summary
This report presents findings from the third UK SIMBIO social innovation lab, which focused on prototyping sustainable biobased biodegradable plastic packaging solutions to address growing microplastic pollution. The workshop explored economic, social, and environmental barriers to scaling bioplastic alternatives in a context where plastic production continues to rise while recycling systems remain inadequate. Prototyped solutions were evaluated for their potential to contribute to a more circular economy in the UK.
The impacts of microplastics on ecosystems are widespread, particularly in the marine environment (Avioet al., 2017, Jambeck et al., 2015, GESAMP, 2016). In an era in which plastic production continues to growwhile the recycling system continues to underperform (OECD, 2022), there are increasing challenges forcontemporary economies to shift towards more sustainable production and consumption models – sinceplastics emissions are predicted to grow fourfold within the next decade (Zheng and Suh, 2019). In thiscontext, bioplastics have the potential to benefit the UK economy by serving the functional requirementsmodern society expects of plastic products and contributing to the development of a more sustainablefuture (CEBR, 2015). Despite this, there are still a number of economic, social, and environmentalchallenges associated with creating sustainable biobased biodegradable plastics packaging (BBPP)products that maximise positive sustainability impacts throughout and beyond the life cycle