Everyday Flexibles Recycling Assembly: Invitation to Participate

RECOUP members are invited to engage with a new initiative addressing one of the UK’s most complex packaging waste challenges – the recycling of post-consumer flexible plastics.

Hosted by the University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute, Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub, and the Henry Royce Institute, the Everyday Flexibles Recycling Assembly will bring together 15–25 experts from across the flexible packaging supply chain.

This focused, in-person roundtable will take place on Tuesday 13 August 2025, from 10:30 to 15:00, at the university’s AMBS Business School. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The session will explore systemic barriers and opportunities for progress amid ongoing changes brought by Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and ahead of the 2027 rollout of kerbside film collections under Simpler Recycling.

Participants will:

• Share practical insights into the technical, logistical and market-related challenges of flexible plastic packaging.
• Collaborate on identifying actionable best practices and recommendations for sustainable change.
• Hear about research and innovation resources at the University of Manchester and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

This assembly is part of a wider research programme led by Dr Torik Holmes (University of Manchester), focused on improving organisational capacities to support sustainable packaging transitions in the UK.

Flexibles currently account for over 20% of UK consumer plastic packaging and remain difficult to collect, sort and reprocess. With limited market value and few end-use applications, they often end up being subjected to non-ideal processing. The assembly aims to shift this trajectory by generating realistic and cross-sector solutions.

If you are interested in attending, please complete the expression of interest form which you can find here. You can find out more about the initiative here.

For more information, you can contact Dr Torik Holmes at torik.holmes@manchester.ac.uk