Plastic Dialogue Series: We Need to Do Something About Flexibles

On 15 September 2026, RECOUP co-hosted a stakeholder workshop to explore the complex challenges surrounding flexible plastic circularity. The session was brought together by partners from the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth, Everyday Plastic and the Environmental Investigation Agency, alongside participants and contributors from retail, packaging, academia, NGOs, government, and waste management sectors.

The workshop was designed to create space for open, solution-oriented dialogue and to look at this complex system from a fresh perspective. Group discussions focused on eliminating unnecessary packaging, redesigning packaging with alternative materials and formats, reuse and refill systems, and optimising end-of-life processes to ensure materials are captured and kept in circulation.

Participants explored the key barriers and opportunities across the flexible plastics value chain, with a strong focus on practical solutions and how they could be delivered collaboratively. The workshop outcomes will be developed into a write-up setting out potential solutions and recommendations. However, the main achievement was bringing stakeholders together to have constructive conversations about possible ways forward.