Judges Pack 2026 Entries The Horners Award for Plastics Innovation & Design & The Horners David Williams Award
Horners Award for Plastics Innovation & Design
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Company Name Circular11
Title of Entry Circular11 - Turning the global waste crisis into the next generation of construction materials. The PISCES Partnership The PISCES Partnership (Co-Directors Susan Jobling and (Brunel University London) Eleni Iacovidou), Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London SPS Pouches Ltd A Versatile Mono-Material Flexible Packaging Format Proven in a Real-World Sortability Trial by SPS Pouches Ltd Polytag Barcode-Level Packaging Traceability for Recycling Verification, Advanced Sortation and Fraud Prevention by Polytag MI-BIN LTD The Multifunctional Intelligent Bin by MI-BIN LTD energystore spacebead, by energystore The University of Birmingham HARPPP: The Future of Plastics Manufacturing Sarah Turner Eco Art & Design Lady Godiva: Demonstrating the Circular Potential of PostConsumer Plastic in Public Art The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Reducing the Environmental Impact of Metered Dose Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Inhalers (MDIs) by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Trust Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Nexus Packaging Energy-Efficient Extrusion Blow Moulding - From First Brick to Lowest Footprint by Nexus Packaging University of Birmingham Room-Temperature Solvent-Free Recycling of Fluoropolymers into Environmentally Benign Products by University of Birmingham Coveris and Nextek COtooCLEAN™ Plant by Coveris and Nextek Tosca UK Services Ltd CP 1208 Circular Pallet by Tosca UK Services Ltd Sumika Polymer Compounds Thermofil XP | Glass-Reinforced Polypropylene Compounds Designed to Reduce Cycle Times Foresight Innovations Ltd Recorelite - Lightweight Panel Made from Recycled Plastic by Foresight Innovations Ltd University of Cambridge A 100% Bio-Based, High-Moisture-Barrier CNF-Zein Film for Sustainable Food Packaging by University of Cambridge Moulding Optimisation Ltd Cav-Bal®: Practical Method for Balancing Hot Runner Cavities by Moulding Optimisation Ltd Plastics4Performance Glazing for Rallycars Made by P4P from Coated Polycarbonate Sheet by Plastics4Performance
Horners Award for Plastics Innovation & Design Entries Opted Into The Horner’s David Williams Award
No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 14 16 17
Company Name Circular11
Title of Entry Circular11 - Turning the global waste crisis into the next generation of construction materials. The PISCES Partnership The PISCES Partnership (Co-Directors Susan Jobling and (Brunel University London) Eleni Iacovidou), Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London SPS Pouches Ltd A Versatile Mono-Material Flexible Packaging Format Proven in a Real-World Sortability Trial by SPS Pouches Ltd Polytag Barcode-Level Packaging Traceability for Recycling Verification, Advanced Sortation and Fraud Prevention by Polytag MI-BIN LTD The Multifunctional Intelligent Bin by MI-BIN LTD energystore spacebead, by energystore The University of Birmingham HARPPP: The Future of Plastics Manufacturing Sarah Turner Eco Art & Design Lady Godiva: Demonstrating the Circular Potential of PostConsumer Plastic in Public Art The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Reducing the Environmental Impact of Metered Dose Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Inhalers (MDIs) by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Trust Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Nexus Packaging Energy-Efficient Extrusion Blow Moulding - From First Brick to Lowest Footprint by Nexus Packaging University of Birmingham Room-Temperature Solvent-Free Recycling of Fluoropolymers into Environmentally Benign Products by University of Birmingham Sumika Polymer Compounds Glass-Reinforced Polypropylene Compounds Designed to Reduce Cycle Timesby Sumika Polymer Compounds University of Cambridge A 100% Bio-Based, High-Moisture-Barrier CNF-Zein Film for Sustainable Food Packaging by University of Cambridge Moulding Optimisation Ltd Cav-Bal®: Practical Method for Balancing Hot Runner Cavities by Moulding Optimisation Ltd
Entries for the Horner’s Award for Plastics Innovation & Design 2026 & The Horner’s David Williams Award
1
Circular11 - Turning the global waste crisis into the next generation of construction materials (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award) Circular11 uses advanced manufacturing technology to transform commingled, hard-to-recycle plastic waste into stable construction composites. Its process-control systems combine material characterisation, sensor technology and machine learning to track variation in real time and adapt production, accordingly, creating a timber alternative that locks up more carbon than is used in its production.
Innovation and Problem Solving Of the household plastics that reach a recycling centre in Europe, only 8% are turned back into secondary raw materials. Most of the remainder, a total of 9 million tonnes, is incinerated in a process that is more carbon-intensive than coal power generation. The primary reason is the inseparable mixture of plastic types, grades and additives, which makes commingling inevitable. Until now, no manufacturer has been able to use mixed, variable and unknown plastic streams to make a product that passes quality control at scale. This is where Circular11 comes in. Circular11 uses advanced manufacturing to create a scalable alternative to construction softwood from unrecyclable plastic waste. We have developed machine-learning-driven manufacturing technology that characterises mixed streams in real time by combining different spectroscopic, rheological and mechanical signatures from the input stream and feeding this data into models that automatically adapt the extrusion line to any detected variation. This turns waste material into feedstock, halving the cost base of the manufacturing process and allowing us to sell longer-lasting lumber at a similar price to softwood timber. This opens up global timber supply chains at a time when there are critical shortages in timber supply due to a tripling of demand, climate pressures on existing stocks and the banning of timber preservatives across the EU.
Sustainability and Social Impact Circular11 was founded following its co-founders’ work on waste management projects in Nepal, where they witnessed the impact of dysfunctional recycling markets on the families they lived with, including carcinogenic fumes from household burning and choked local waterways. The company’s mission is to develop scalable production systems that enable local manufacturing sectors to harness these waste streams at scale, with the ambition of making the incineration of household plastic as absurd as burning plastic bank notes. Circular11 has embedded impact into its activities in three ways. Firstly, its plastic lumber has a verified Environmental Product Declaration that quantifies how much material within its supply chain is diverted from incineration. This creates a net mitigation of 0.48 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of product. The company is increasing the percentage of waste used within its feedstock and is working towards a net mitigation target of 1.5 tonnes of CO2e by 2028. Secondly, Circular11 has a Community Interest Company that supports, mobilises and harnesses local recycling networks to increase community-owned recycling networks, including schools, churches and local networks.
Lastly, Circular11 is beginning to collaborate with a range of international partners. It has scoped projects with Tearfund, the Danish Refugee Council, waste companies in India and the Government of Ghana to license its production systems in emerging markets. This would shift Circular11’s vision from being a top-calibre manufacturer of plastic lumber to a company providing the technical infrastructure for a new generation of lumber-producing sawmills globally, using its technology to equip and enable companies in emerging markets to transform their own material landscape.
UK Content and Market Potential The total UK market for outdoor sawnwood timber applications is approximately £2 billion and forms part of a global market worth around £100 billion per year. Demand for softwood timber is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 as urbanisation and the shift towards sustainable building methods continue. At the same time, existing timber stocks are becoming increasingly stressed, while new supply can take two decades to grow. In addition, all major timber preservatives were regulated out of the market between 2003 and 2023, resulting in a significant reduction in the lifespan of outdoor timber assets. Plastic lumber is an essential material category in addressing this shortfall, providing the durability required for outdoor applications. The material has already gained market share within furniture and decking, but further growth into the wider billion-pound market is constrained by high prices and a lack of reliability. UK manufacturers do not currently follow international standards, and specifiers often lack clarity around the properties they should be assessing. Circular11 combines polymer engineering with data science to produce planks with the strongest performance on the market, manufactured to internationally accredited standards and using materials that other manufacturers are unable to use. The company is using this approach to gain traction in established plastic lumber markets, including furniture and decking, while also entering regulated markets such as highways and construction.
More Information: Circular11 - Turning the global waste crisis into the next generation of construction materials. Link: https://we.tl/t-gaymxaomfwg1buQ6
2 The PISCES Partnership (Co-Directors Susan Jobling and Eleni Iacovidou), Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award) PISCES Living Labs is a UK-led innovation platform developed by Brunel University London to de-risk circular plastics innovation through a systems-based approach. Bringing together 12 research organisations with businesses, government, NGOs and communities, it created the world’s first plastics Living Lab in East Java to co-design, test and refine solutions for single-use packaging before scale-up. The programme has since supported a live commercial reuse pilot with Alner, circulareconomy leadership training, and the establishment of further Living Labs in Indonesia and at Brunel.
Innovation and Problem Solving Circular plastics innovations often address isolated points within the value chain, while product development and field pilots may fail to expose the interaction between technical, commercial, behavioural and infrastructural barriers before solutions are scaled. PISCES Living Lab addressed this through rapid future-experience simulation. Flexible stages recreated a neighbourhood shop, kitchen, restaurant, public space and waste bank, enabling participants to experience products and services while researchers observed their choices and emotional responses.[3] A total of 18 concepts were tested in three-week cycles, with 15–21 participants in each. Results indicated that affordability, trust, return effort, packaging design and convenience would influence uptake. Comparison with Enviu’s reuse pilot portfolio found that 62 of 69 Living Lab insights aligned fully, seven aligned partially and none were contradicted.[4] One concept matched a reuse system co-designed by Enviu and implemented by spinout Alner. Products were supplied through neighbourhood retailers in reusable HDPE and PP containers, digitally tracked, collected, washed and recirculated. The model had not previously been tested within Indonesia’s dominant non-urban retail context.[5] A field pilot tested four products. Between February and June, participating retailers increased from seven to 12, joining requests rose by 233%, and weekly sales increased by 33%.[6] These findings informed the commercial RE:Hub pilot, which now serves 21 retail partners across four neighbourhoods and sells 19 products.[7]
Sustainability and Social Impact PISCES embeds environmental, social and economic sustainability throughout the innovation process. Living Lab concepts were evaluated for their environmental, social and economic potential, the socio-technical changes required for implementation, and their feasibility across short-, medium-
and long-term timescales. Reuse, packaging, behaviour-change and waste-management ideas were then combined into cross-value-chain solutions. In coastal East Java, reuse and refill systems are being expanded through traditional neighbourhood shops alongside collection, sorting, recovery, behaviour-change and waste-governance services. Prevention and downstream recovery are therefore designed as part of one system, reducing the risk that improvements at one point in the value chain shift burdens elsewhere. Extending reuse beyond affluent urban retail makes circular packaging more accessible to lowerincome consumers and creates opportunities for micro-retailers and community entrepreneurs. Delivery through women-owned shops and the women’s network also supports participation, enterprise and potential livelihood benefits. Published PISCES research also links reduced marine plastic leakage with the protection of coastal ecosystem services supporting food provision, flood protection, recreation, livelihoods, health and wellbeing. These community benefits have not been directly measured and therefore remain evidence-based expectations.[8] Through the Circular Plastics Economy Network, PISCES Relay has also built leadership capability.[9] Its pilot attracted 73 applicants from 19 countries and trained a cohort of policymakers and industry leaders from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
UK Content and Market Potential The UK contribution centres on the research, methods and innovation capability developed at Brunel University London. Brunel created a systems decision-making framework for optimising resource circularity and multidimensional value, alongside the world’s first plastics Living Lab and its rapid future-experience simulation method, integrating behavioural, environmental, economic and design evidence. The decision-making framework has been adopted by UK commercial and policy stakeholders. Development was supported by a £3.5 million Global Challenges Research Fund grant, with further funding secured through an EPSRC Impact Accelerator, Unilever TRANSFORM, Research England and Brunel University. The British Plastics Federation provides a route into the UK plastics sector, connecting Brunel’s methods with companies, policymakers and experts, including Innovate UK, Unilever and Amcor. Potential customers include packaging and consumer-goods companies, retailers, reuse operators, waste businesses, local authorities and policymakers seeking to test circular interventions before investing in tooling, infrastructure or rollout. Commercial credibility is demonstrated through Alner, an established reuse business. Since 2020, the company has reused 10,000 plastic containers, equivalent to 1.2 million polluting single-use sachets.[10] Two Indonesian universities have also established further Living Labs, demonstrating international adoption of the UK-developed model.[11] Brunel’s equipped Living Lab provides a route for commissioned trials, collaborative research and professional training for UK organisations.
More Information: The following google link gives access to the following supporting files which are referenced 1-11 in the application: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tV1FuG2Z-QMEKNNOj0y7FdddARWt5aQS 1. Video overview of PISCES Partnership and systems-based approach. 2. PISCES Publication: Food and beverage plastics dominate global shorelines: A harmonized rankbased assessment of usage types to guide interventions. 3. PISCES Living Labs video overview 4. Enviu comparison of field pilot and Living lab findings 5. Enviu Alner spinout video 6. Brunel and Enviu First Pilot results 7. Brunel and Alner Re:Hub commercial pilot overview 8. PISCES publication on health and wellbeing impacts of plastic waste leakage into the environment 9. Circular Plastics Economy Network news 10. Alner CEO video 11. Media reports of opening of the two Indonesian University Living Labs
3 A Versatile Mono-Material Flexible Packaging Format Proven in a Real-World Sortability Trial by SPS Pouches Ltd (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
A mono-material polyethylene pouch has been developed for dry products and liquids, combining recyclability, packaging performance, print quality and commercial accessibility. Using an MDOPE printing layer and LLDPE sealing layer, with BOPE and EVOH added where greater strength or barrier performance is required, the format provides an alternative to difficult-to-recycle mixed-material laminates. It can be digitally or gravure printed, produced in multiple finishes and ordered from 1,000 units upwards, supporting both start-ups and established brands. The structure has also been assessed with RECOUP through real-world sorting trials at Sherbourne materials recovery facility.
Innovation and Problem Solving A versatile mono-material polyethylene pouch solution has been developed to match the performance and appearance of traditional mixed-material laminates while remaining suitable for real-world recycling systems. The structure can be printed using either digital or gravure printing, making it commercially viable for both short and long production runs. Internal white or transparent polyethylene can be selected depending on the required appearance, while outer matte coatings enable matte, gloss and combined finishes, including spot-gloss effects and clear glossy windows rather than frosted windows where required. Barrier and strength can also be adjusted without moving away from the core polyethylene structure. EVOH can be incorporated where additional barrier performance is required, while a BOPE layer can be added to improve puncture resistance and structural performance for larger formats above 1kg. Double cutting is used as standard during production, allowing artwork to run fully to the pouch edges and avoiding visible eye marks and unsightly bleed commonly seen within the pouch industry. The concept has also been tested with RECOUP at Sherbourne MRF, providing real-world proof of sortability and demonstrating that heavy metallisation will not be a viable route for many brands in the coming years.
Sustainability and Social Impact Flexible packaging is lightweight, resource-efficient and highly effective at protecting products, but its environmental value is undermined if it cannot be collected, sorted and recycled economically at end of life. The approach has therefore been to move beyond broad claims that a pouch is simply “recyclable”. A PE-led structure has been developed to produce a more consistent and valuable recycling stream, while retaining the printability, barrier, strength and versatility required to protect the product inside. The pouches were then tested with RECOUP at Sherbourne MRF. The mono-PE structure achieved 20 out of 20 positive identifications at both sorting stages and was directed into the films and flexibles stream. The same trials showed that heavy metallisation could interfere with optical sorting, while a fully metallic structure failed completely. This will become increasingly important as kerbside collection for flexible plastics expands and PPWR becomes a stronger consideration for brands scaling into the EU market. Recyclers also require materials that can be identified reliably, reprocessed efficiently and sold into viable end markets.
The result is a commercially available pouch that responds to this whole-system challenge while making the transition accessible to SMEs through production runs starting from approximately 1,000 units.
UK Content and Market Potential The company is a UK flexible-packaging business supporting brands with material selection, pouch specification, artwork preparation, production and technical guidance. The mono-material platform has been developed in response to demand from UK businesses seeking to improve packaging recyclability without sacrificing product protection, print quality or commercial viability. Target markets include food supplements, powdered nutrition products, pet treats, gardening products, fishing products, refill liquids and other applications requiring lightweight, high-barrier or leak-resistant packaging. Its commercial model is designed to serve a broader market than conventional specialist laminates. Digital production enables quantities from approximately 1,000 units, while gravure production provides a route for growing and established businesses requiring larger volumes. This allows customers to retain the same underlying material strategy as their volumes increase. The platform is already being supplied for dry-product applications in stand-up, box-bottom and layflat sachet formats, while spouted formats are showing early promise with exceptionally low leakage rates. Customer feedback has highlighted both the quality of the finished pouch and the value of having external evidence to support recyclability claims. Further growth will be driven by increasing demand for mono-material flexible packaging, changes to UK collection systems and packaging regulation, and the need for credible alternatives to conventional mixed-material laminates.
More Information: https://www.spspouches.com/client-stories https://www.spspouches.com/sustainability https://www.foundation.org.uk/Blog/2026/Why-Extended-Producer-Responsibility-must-not-beco https://www.spspouches.com/blog/are-pouches-actually-recyclable-in-2026
4 Barcode-Level Packaging Traceability for Recycling Verification, Advanced Sortation and Fraud Prevention by Polytag (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
Polytag has developed a packaging traceability platform that combines invisible UV tagging, GS1compliant QR codes, detection infrastructure, geolocation technology and serialised identifiers to track packaging through the recycling system. The platform generates verified recycling data, supports improved sortation, kerbside DDRS initiatives and fraud prevention, and is deployed across 14 UK MRFs by organisations including M&S, Ocado and Waitrose, providing a scalable route to greater transparency and circularity across the UK plastics value chain.
Innovation and Problem Solving Traditional recycling systems provide limited visibility of what packaging is actually recycled, making it difficult for brands, recyclers and policymakers to measure performance accurately or improve outcomes. Existing approaches often rely on estimates, sampling or aggregate reporting, leaving a significant data gap between disposal and recycling. Polytag’s innovation combines multiple technologies into a single integrated platform. Invisible UV tags applied during standard printing processes enable packaging to be identified at barcode level within MRFs. Detection units installed above recycling conveyors capture packaging data in real time, while the platform translates this information into actionable insights. Advanced sortation capabilities help direct material into higher-quality recycling streams, supporting improved bale quality and increased rPET recovery. The innovation extends beyond recycling measurement. Polytag’s serialised QR codes generate unique identifiers for individual products, helping to prevent fraud and support a potential digital deposit return scheme. Geolocation capabilities provide an additional layer of verification and fraud prevention. Polytag’s trial with Ocado in 2023 was the first national deposit return scheme using serialised QR codes. A key achievement has been demonstrating scalability through the Ecotrace network, which has established infrastructure across 14 UK MRFs and created a shared data ecosystem benefiting brands, recyclers and regulators alike.
Sustainability and Social Impact Polytag was created to improve the transparency, efficiency and accountability of the recycling system. By providing verified recycling data, the platform enables evidence-based decisions that support higher recycling rates, more recyclable packaging design and improved resource recovery.
The technology supports sustainability in two ways. First, detection and sortation improve the quality of recyclable material streams, helping strengthen the supply of high-quality recyclate, including rPET, for future packaging manufacture. Second, barcode-level recycling data gives organisations a clearer understanding of recycling outcomes, helping move the industry away from assumptions and towards measurable performance. The social impact extends beyond environmental outcomes. Through its work on kerbside DDRS and anti-fraud technologies, Polytag supports fairer and more efficient packaging recovery systems. Greater transparency helps build consumer trust, supports better policy development and encourages investment in recycling infrastructure. The technology also enables SKUs to be tracked and is a key enabler in fighting waste crime such as PRN fraud. Polytag works collaboratively across the value chain, partnering with brands, retailers, MRF operators, compliance organisations and governments, including engagement with the Welsh Government. By helping establish infrastructure and evidence, the technology contributes to a more effective circular economy that benefits businesses, communities and society.
UK Content and Market Potential Polytag is a UK-developed innovation designed to address challenges facing the UK’s recycling and resource management sectors. The business has established a nationwide footprint through deployment in 14 Material Recovery Facilities, creating one of the country’s largest packaging detection networks. The company works with leading retailers and brands including M&S, Ocado and Waitrose, demonstrating commercial adoption across multiple packaging formats and supply chains. Its customer base spans brands, retailers, recyclers, compliance organisations and government stakeholders, providing a diversified route to market with strong growth potential. Polytag’s technology aligns closely with emerging regulatory requirements and industry trends, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), future Recycling Assessment Methodology developments, deposit return schemes and digital product passport initiatives. This positions the business to support both domestic and international markets seeking greater transparency and traceability within packaging systems. The innovation has also benefited from collaboration and expertise, including support from the British Plastics Federation through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership based at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and mentorship from BPF’s Adrian Whyle. Together, these partnerships have helped accelerate innovation, knowledge transfer and commercial readiness, strengthening Polytag’s position as a leader in circular economy technologies.
More Information: Download PDF “EPR THAT WORKS: INCENTIVISING REAL RECYCLING WITH DATA AND INNOVATION” https://we.tl/t-kt07rg53YXtKYVTx
5 The Multifunctional Intelligent Bin by MI-BIN LTD (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
MI-BIN is a patented compartmentalised wheelie bin designed to improve household recycling by increasing material quality at source while reducing bin blight. It features two independently accessible 120-litre compartments with an integrated central drainage and lid system, offering an alternative to multiple-bin collection systems while remaining practical to manufacture, transport, assemble and handle.
Innovation and Problem Solving MI-BIN provides both an innovative product and a practical manufacturing solution. Its modular design allows the main body, compartment inserts and lid to be manufactured separately, reducing transport volume and simplifying assembly. This also provides flexibility for optional technologies and future product development without changing the core platform. MI-BIN incorporates integrated handles aligned with the comb-lifting interface, allowing access from either end through the four-wheel configuration. This improves usability and can reduce the handling demands associated with multiple recycling containers. The two independently accessible compartments enable separate waste streams within the footprint of a conventional 240-litre wheelie bin, providing stability and reducing the risk of contamination between fractions. The integrated central drainage and lid system drains excess water and provides a stable structure for the interlocking lids. Separate manufacture of the body, inserts and lid facilitates efficient transport by allowing assembly at the point of deployment, while compatibility with current bin-truck comb lifters enables integration with existing UK collection infrastructure without requiring changes to lifting equipment or bin trucks.
Sustainability and Social Impact Extended product life is an important element of sustainability. MI-BIN has been engineered with durability as a design objective, recognising that extending service life reduces replacement demand, conserves resources and lowers the environmental impact associated with manufacture and distribution. Alongside durability, MI-BIN has been developed to encourage greater household participation in recycling by providing a product that is practical, easy on the eye and fun to use. By making recycling easier and more engaging, MI-BIN aims to encourage positive behavioural change while improving material quality at source. Environmental responsibility extends beyond the product itself. MI-BIN intends to support a treeplanting initiative, with a tree planted for every household that chooses MI-BIN. The initiative aims to connect household participation in recycling with wider environmental benefits, including carbon capture and biodiversity. By improving material quality at source and encouraging greater household participation, MI-BIN aims to support more efficient recovery of valuable resources while reducing avoidable waste. This approach reflects growing consumer expectations that products should not only be environmentally responsible but also enable households to live more sustainably through practical everyday solutions.
UK Content and Market Potential During the development of MI-BIN, considerable attention was given to the financial and operational pressures facing local authorities. Rather than requiring significant upfront public investment, MI-BIN will pursue a voluntary household upgrade model, enabling councils to introduce the system with minimal financial risk. Growing public interest in sustainable living, combined with increasing pressure on councils to improve recycling performance and manage costs, creates a favourable environment for voluntary household adoption. The rollout model also enables phased deployment, allowing adoption to grow in line with household demand while reducing financial and operational risk for local authorities. By giving households the opportunity to upgrade voluntarily, councils can enhance recycling services without significant upfront capital investment. Depending on the delivery model adopted, the approach also has the potential to generate additional revenue for reinvestment into local environmental and community initiatives, creating shared benefits for households, local authorities and the wider community while supporting the transition to a circular economy.
More Information: MI-BIN The Multifunctional Intelligent Bin Download information pack – https://we.tl/t-XZFd76nDj617W8Sz https://mibinltd.com/
6 spacebead, by energystore (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
Spacebead is a next-generation full-fill injected cavity wall insulation developed by energystore, combining EPS beads, aerogel and adhesive to deliver a declared thermal conductivity of 0.029W/mK, a 15% improvement on existing injected options. Its performance enables housebuilders, in most cases, to meet Future Homes Standard fabric requirements within a standard 100mm cavity rather than moving to wider cavities, helping reduce redesign pressure, protect land efficiency, maintain build speed and support the delivery of low-carbon homes at scale.
Innovation and Problem Solving Aerogel is one of the lightest solid materials known and is valued for its exceptional insulating properties. It has been used for decades in specialist sectors, including aerospace and electric vehicle battery protection, but cost has historically limited its use in mainstream construction. spacebead changes this by using aerogel manufactured from construction waste. Silica is extracted through a patented process and converted into aerogel using a patented continuous batching method, giving spacebead market-leading performance while aligning with the construction industry’s sustainability priorities. The core challenge is the industry’s reliance on wider cavities to meet rising thermal standards, which increases cost, complexity and delay. By delivering 0.029W/mK, a 15% improvement, spacebead enables Future Homes Standard-ready performance within a standard 100mm cavity. Unlike board or batt insulation, which can be affected by cutting, gaps and workmanship variation, spacebead is injected as a continuous full-fill system. It is installed by trained energystore teams, with post-completion checks recorded digitally, helping close the gap between designed and installed performance. spacebead also holds KIWA BDA Agrément certification, evidencing that it works as intended and is ready to scale.
Sustainability and Social Impact Spacebead embeds sustainability at material, process and outcome level. Its aerogel is manufactured from construction waste, turning a disposal burden into a high-performance resource through a patented silica extraction and continuous batching process, reducing reliance on virgin materials. Because spacebead is injected rather than cut and fitted, it avoids offcuts, reduces on-site waste and removes the need to store and dispose of surplus material. Consistent full-fill coverage also improves real-world thermal performance, cutting energy demand and carbon across a home’s lifetime. The product supports energystore’s wider Emission less Mission, an aim to reach net zero by 2028, backed by a £2 million commitment across operations and outputs. The wider product range already uses sustainable biofuels at raw material stage.
The social impact is also significant. Warmer, more efficient homes can lower energy bills and improve comfort and wellbeing. In retrofit, spacebead improves U-value performance by more than 20% within the same cavity width, helping homeowners, social landlords and private landlords raise EPC ratings without major structural disruption. This makes better living conditions achievable for more households, including those most exposed to fuel poverty.
UK Content and Market Potential Energystore is a UK and Ireland business with more than 50 years of experience in insulation manufacturing and installation. It operates from nine locations across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain and employs more than 150 people. spacebead is designed, manufactured and installed in-house, with aerogel produced from construction waste through patented processes, keeping value creation within the domestic supply chain. Market potential is strong. spacebead has been granted a UK patent and energystore has already completed orders for more than 50 trial plots in the UK. It is estimated to have the potential to achieve more than 5% market share within two years, delivering over £15 million in annual sales. Demand is anchored in regulation, with spacebead expected to protect the 100mm cavity when the Future Homes Standard takes effect in March 2027. In the Republic of Ireland, it is the only injected insulation meeting the 0.18 U-value backstop in a 150mm cavity wall. Target customers include homeowners, construction companies, new-build developers and housing associations, with further retrofit demand from social and private landlords. Certification, in-house delivery and a defined route to market provide a credible growth plan.
More Information: Product information and accreditation documents available online at: www.energystoreltd.com/spacebead spacebead product video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW8hwwGobOw
7 HARPPP: The Future of Plastics Manufacturing by The University of Birmingham (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
HARPPP is a new approach to extruder design that combines a fully programmatic CAD kernel, physics-based simulation and evolutionary AI to generate and optimise novel, manufacturable screw geometries. Developed at the University of Birmingham through an EPSRC- and Royal-Societyfunded sustainable-polymer manufacturing programme, the platform has already produced a conveying geometry that substantially outperforms existing industrial designs in simulation, with encouraging prototype validation, creating a new model for plastics machinery and industrial R&D.
Innovation and Problem Solving One of the major challenges facing manufacturers of bio-derived and/or biodegradable plastics is cost-competitiveness with conventional materials. Waste incurred while determining the correct screw design for a twin-screw extruder system, the right temperature profile and other processing conditions, combined with the complexity of scaling these systems and day-to-day losses caused by imperfect system design, significantly increases costs. HARPPP takes an accelerated, digital-first approach to system design and process optimisation, reducing both time and cost by orders of magnitude. The software can digitally trial more than 1,000 novel designs in under seven days, with electricity as the only cost. By comparison, design iteration for a physical system, including design, production, testing and analysis, can take months and cost tens of thousands of pounds. Rather than relying on off-the-shelf designs, HARPPP produces novel geometries capable of processing highly sensitive materials that are not feasible with conventional systems. In the first experimentally validated conveying study, an AI-generated geometry reduced energy use by 31.2% while applying 57% less stress to the material than the original design. For heat-sensitive sustainable polymers, reducing stress lowers degradation and waste, helping make sustainable plastics more viable. Optimising throughput and material stress together also reveals superior solutions.
Sustainability and Social Impact The goal of the project is to achieve “sustainability at all levels”: sustainable products, produced sustainably, from sustainable sources. HARPPP is currently being applied to two projects. The first focuses on optimising the production of biodegradable plastics. The second involves working with the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) to help design more energy-efficient extruder systems capable of converting waste plastics in crisis zones into shelter and useful tools for crisis-affected populations. In both cases, a major driver of the optimisation process is the design of novel geometries that reduce waste and/or energy use during plastic production. Alongside the economic benefits of reduced energy use, this also lowers the CO2 emissions associated with plastic production. A significant part of the project also involves developing and testing novel bio-derived plastic formulations. HARPPP’s ability to digitally trial new formulations allows non-viable options to be screened out rapidly, significantly reducing development time for promising formulations.
The work with UNHRD also has significant social potential, transforming plastic waste in crisis zones from a material contributing to undignified living conditions into useful products that can help improve quality of life.
UK Content and Market Potential The mathematical models and optimisation algorithms were developed at the University of Birmingham, funded by UKRI and the Royal Society, and tested by UK-based plastics producers. The wider evolutionary-design technology is being commercialised through EvoPhase, a UK-based technology venture already delivering AI-led optimisation for industrial manufacturers. Immediate markets include compounders, sustainable-material producers, mechanical recyclers, chemical recyclers and extruder manufacturers whose equipment struggles with sensitive or variable feedstocks, or who simply wish to reduce energy costs. The market gap is not just a new screw element, but software that autonomously designs novel geometries tailored to specific materials and applications. The initial route to market is through paid design and optimisation projects, followed by software licensing and OEM partnerships. Credibility is supported by the extrusion demonstration, industrial applications in adjacent sectors and paying multinational customers for optimisation services. The next milestones are manufacture, commercial-scale testing and OEM partnership. The kernel can then be adapted across extruder sizes, materials and recycling applications, creating exportable UK design capability. The project aims to represent an early turning point in the digital transformation of plastics manufacturing, with early recognition seen as evidence of genuine industrial foresight.
More Information: A paper detailing the mathematical model, or "CAD Kernel", used to autonomously produce novel extruder designs is attached. Please treat this as confidential as we do not yet wish to publicly release the detailed mathematics…. https://we.tl/t-8d049vSaANGe5ngZ A separate paper demonstrating the AI methodology which, when coupled to the CAD kernel, can autonomously optimise extruder systems, can be seen here *Note that the system discussed here is a stirred tank as opposed to an extruder, as for IP protection we are not yet publishing the full workflow for extruders. Article about EvoPhase, our UK spinout which is commercialising the technology discussed in the application: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2023/birmingham-launches-ai-powered-design-forindustrial-processing-equipment The UN's Harmless Plastics project, to which we are applying our extruder optimisation capabilities: https://unhrd.org/harmless-plastic-project We are happy to provide more information and documentation if useful, but feel this gives a good overview for the Judges. Our thanks in advance for your consideration.
8 Lady Godiva: Demonstrating the Circular Potential of PostConsumer Plastic in Public Art (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
Designed and made by eco artist Sarah Turner for Coventry Building Society, Lady Godiva is a 2.3metre public sculpture created from approximately 250 kg of post-consumer plastic bottle caps, which were shredded, melted and reformed into new sheets. The project demonstrates the durability, versatility and aesthetic potential of recycled plastic while engaging Coventry Building Society employees in the circular economy and transforming discarded material into a permanent civic installation with environmental, educational and cultural value.
Innovation and Problem Solving The project addresses a key circular economy challenge: creating high-value, long-life applications for recycled plastics that demonstrate both technical capability and lasting public value. While learning recycled plastic sheet-forming techniques at Future Makers, Sarah Turner recognised the opportunity to adapt the process for large-scale public sculpture. Using recycled plastic bottle caps presented several design challenges. The sheets naturally varied in thickness, flatness and surface texture, so the sculpture was designed to work with these characteristics rather than against them. Through experimentation with shredding, melting and reforming bottle caps into sheet material, a fabrication approach was developed that embraced these variations while achieving the strength and durability required for permanent outdoor installation. The sculpture was also designed for longevity. Individual components can be removed and replaced if damaged or weathered, extending the life of the artwork without replacing the entire structure. Only HDPE (No. 2 plastic) was used, ensuring replacement parts can be manufactured from recycled material and that removed components can themselves be recycled into new sheets. This design-for-repair approach demonstrates how circular economy principles can be embedded into both the manufacture and long-term maintenance of public installations.
Sustainability and Social Impact Sustainability was embedded throughout the project, from material selection and manufacture to longterm maintenance. Approximately 250 kg of post-consumer plastic bottle caps were transformed into a permanent public sculpture, demonstrating a high-value application for material often regarded as waste. By using only recycled HDPE (No. 2 plastic), the project supports circular economy principles through a material that can be recycled repeatedly and repaired throughout the sculpture’s lifetime. The design prioritises longevity. Individual components can be replaced if damaged or weathered, reducing waste and extending the life of the installation without requiring complete replacement. This demonstrates how public artworks can be designed with future maintenance and recyclability in mind. The project also delivers meaningful social impact. Employees at Coventry Building Society contributed some of the bottle caps used in the sculpture, creating a personal connection between everyday waste and its transformation into a permanent public landmark. Installed in an accessible public setting, the sculpture encourages conversations about sustainability and demonstrates the positive role plastics can play when responsibly recovered, redesigned and kept in use. By making circular economy principles visible and engaging, the project helps challenge perceptions of plastic waste and inspires more sustainable thinking.
UK Content and Market Potential The Lady Godiva project was conceived, developed and manufactured entirely in the UK. Design, material development and fabrication were carried out in Nottingham using post-consumer HDPE bottle caps, before the completed sculpture was installed in Coventry as a permanent public commission for Coventry Building Society. The project demonstrates how innovative recycled plastic manufacturing can create value within the UK creative, environmental and manufacturing sectors. It combines locally sourced waste materials, UK design expertise and UK fabrication to deliver a durable public installation that supports circular economy objectives. The successful delivery of a permanent commissioned sculpture demonstrates commercial viability and provides evidence of market demand for high-value applications of recycled plastics. The techniques developed through the project have the potential to be applied to future public art commissions, placemaking schemes, educational projects and bespoke installations for local authorities, developers, businesses and cultural organisations. By combining sustainable material innovation with creative design, the project provides a scalable model for transforming locally generated plastic waste into long-lasting public assets, supporting both UK manufacturing and the transition towards a more circular economy.
More Information: The accompanying video documents the complete development of the Lady Godiva project, from the collection of post-consumer plastic bottle caps through shredding, sheet production, fabrication and final installation. It provides visual evidence of the recycled material processing, manufacturing techniques and construction methods described within this application, together with the completed 2.3-metre sculpture in its permanent public setting.
The video demonstrates how approximately 250 kg of recycled HDPE bottle caps were transformed into a durable public installation using circular design principles, including material reuse, design for repair and future recyclability. See video… https://vimeo.com/1217283651/bee0a2fb3b?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci
9 Reducing the Environmental Impact of Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust & Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
A regional inhaler recycling initiative has been established across pharmacies and health centres in the Black Country to address the environmental impact of metered dose inhalers, which contribute around 3% of total NHS emissions. Developed following discussions with the British Plastics Federation and a dedicated working group, the zero-cost scheme uses existing delivery and collection networks, avoiding additional CO2 emissions while supporting correct inhaler disposal and further rollout.
Innovation and Problem Solving A working group chaired by Janet Smith, Head of Sustainability, was established in 2023 with key NHS partners. Initial funding was provided by Black Country ICS to procure and distribute the collection bins, while AstraZeneca funded the information and communications campaign. The British Plastics Federation contributed specialist expertise, supported by BPF Recycling Group member RFF, with representatives from the Black Country Local Pharmacy Committee also involved. The scheme was intentionally designed to operate at zero cost to the NHS. The first major challenge was securing approval from the Environment Agency for the proposed decontamination process, enabling inhalers to be safely recycled into new products. Collection logistics also required systems change, which was resolved through free collections from pharmacies using existing RWT Logistics routes and avoiding emissions from additional mileage. Designing the collection bins and accompanying user instructions presented further challenges, particularly in ensuring that only target materials were deposited. The project also aligns with national efforts to transition patients to lower GHG inhalers and improve asthma management to reduce overuse. Early discussions with an innovative design company are also exploring reusable inhaler bodies, allowing patients to replace only the cannister when renewing their prescription.
Sustainability and Social Impact Metered dose inhalers, the most prescribed inhalers, contain hydrofluorocarbon propellants with global warming potentials thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide. Transitioning patients to dry powder or soft mist inhalers can reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90%. This initiative ensures that both the plastic body and aerosol cannister are captured. Cannisters are processed so that any residual propellant gases are safely thermally degraded, preventing harmful emissions. The scheme therefore supports carbon reduction, improved waste management and increased awareness among prescribers and patients of sustainable inhaler use and disposal.
The education and communications campaign targeted both prescribers and patients, raising awareness of the impact of SABA overuse and highlighting more sustainable alternatives. This increased awareness has contributed to a significant reduction in RWT PCN metered dose inhaler emissions, falling from a 2019/20 baseline of 957 tCO₂e to 471 tCO₂e.
UK Content and Market Potential The initiative has been developed and implemented within the UK, bringing together NHS partners, the British Plastics Federation, RFF, the Black Country Local Pharmacy Committee, RWT Waste and Recycling and RWT Logistics. The scheme has already expanded to include Walsall Manor Hospital Pharmacy, with more than 20,000 inhaler bodies recycled to date. Its potential for wider adoption is demonstrated by plans to expand across West Midlands Health Authorities, with future nationwide promotion incorporating lessons learnt from the regional scheme. By using existing logistics routes and operating at zero cost to the NHS, the model provides a practical route for broader rollout across the UK.
10 Energy-Efficient Extrusion Blow Moulding - From First Brick to Lowest Footprint by Nexus Packaging (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
Nexus Packaging combines 38 years of extrusion blow moulding experience with a £14 million investment in a new Glasgow site designed around energy efficiency from the outset. The facility uses all-electric blow moulding, high-performance building insulation, energy-efficient compressors, chillers and blenders, 750 square metres of solar panels, and can process post-consumer recycled polymer across all machines. Its total electricity consumption is 1.13 kWh per kilogramme of finished bottles, around half that of UK competitors, supporting competitive UK manufacturing and growing exports into Europe and beyond.
Innovation and Problem Solving Nexus Packaging previously operated a major blow-moulding factory in Scotland, which was later sold to a multinational company. After many years of consolidating ideas for a future business, the company returned to plastic container manufacturing with the benefit of considerable hindsight and a clear focus on improving how industrial extrusion blow moulding could be carried out profitably in the UK.
Sustainability and Social Impact For Nexus Packaging, energy efficiency is combined with a wider commitment to responsible manufacturing, including the use of post-consumer recycled polymer. While lower energy consumption provides a commercial advantage, the company deliberately chose not to pursue full automation, giving formal assurances to local government agencies that it would maintain a minimum level of employment in an area of high unemployment. Nexus employs 80 people and generates £350,000 of revenue per head, more than double that of its competitors.
UK Content and Market Potential Nexus Packaging is a wholly UK-owned business operating in a sector where UK ownership has become increasingly uncommon. Much of the domestic competition has passed into foreign ownership, placing profits, strategic decisions and long-term investment priorities outside the UK. Nexus represents a different model, with manufacturing capability, decision-making and economic value retained domestically.
Growth in Nexus Packaging’s market share, including through the acquisition of competitor business, therefore strengthens UK-owned manufacturing capacity and supports greater industrial resilience and self-sufficiency. Apart from Alpla, Nexus states that it is the only significant extrusion blow moulder currently making a profit, reinforcing its position within the future of UK-based manufacturing in the sector.
More Information: * Please note: This application has been filled in by me, Robin Enderby, (ex-Worshipful Company of Horners) on behalf of Chris Wagner of Nexus Packaging. I would like you to communicate both with Chris, as I have given his email address in this application, and copy me. Although any company would spin their story, I can vouch that they have done everything possible to make their company energy efficient and very socially responsible. robinenderby1@gmail.com (please note this is a slightly different email address than the one that Horners have in the members directory for me.) For more information, have a look at https://www.nexuspackaging.co.uk/contact.html
11 Room-Temperature Solvent-Free Recycling of Fluoropolymers into Environmentally Benign Products by University of Birmingham (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
A new room-temperature process has been developed to recycle fluoropolymers, including PTFE, FEP, ETFE, ECTF, PCTFE, PFA, PVDF, FKM and polymeric fluorolubricants, within minutes and with essentially 100% efficiency by grinding them with selected metals. Using calcium metal, for example, PTFE is completely transformed into calcium fluoride, a non-toxic naturally occurring mineral, and carbon. The process has been demonstrated at gram scale, is progressing towards pilot scale, is the subject of a UK patent application, and has been selected as a finalist in the 2026 Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technologies Competition.
Innovation and Problem Solving End-of-life options for fluoropolymers remain largely limited to mechanical reprocessing of clean scrap, such as Ambofluor and Reprolon, and incineration through operators such as Veolia. Other approaches typically require hazardous reagents, solvents or elevated temperatures. The C-F bond is one of the strongest in chemistry and normally requires very harsh conditions to break. A recent perspective on low-temperature PTFE degradation highlights this gap. The approach developed here is substantially simpler, using mechanical energy to break the C-F bond. Mechanochemistry, the use of mechanical energy to drive reactions, is an established concept now being applied in new ways. Calcium can be handled in air, the reaction does not release substantial heat, and the process has been repeated more than 100 times across a variety of feedstocks with excellent reproducibility. Typical fillers and contaminants, including carbon black, glass fibres and machining fluids, do not inhibit the reaction. Mechanochemistry is also readily scalable, with 1–5 kg pilot-scale tests now being conducted using EDL equipment.
Sustainability and Social Impact Calcium fluoride occurs naturally as fluorite and is the fluorine industry’s main feedstock for producing hydrofluoric acid. The process recovers fluorine from waste as calcium fluoride that could, subject to purity requirements, be returned to fluorine manufacture, providing a potential blueprint for a circular fluorine economy. Although rigorous technoeconomic and life-cycle assessments have not yet been completed, the comparison with incineration is favourable. Industry discussions indicate incineration gate fees of £1,000–£5,000 per tonne, while expected operating costs based on metal and electricity use are anticipated to fall towards the lower end of this range. Selling calcium fluoride and carbon, each worth below £500 per tonne, could provide a modest offset, although this would not form the central business case. Energy-storage applications for the resulting disordered carbon are also being investigated. A room-temperature, solvent-free, solid-state process could also offer greater social acceptability than fluoropolymer incineration. Recent studies found PTFE to comprise up to 20–30% of microplastics in lung and placenta samples, while PTFE particles induced oxidative stress and inflammatory signalling in human cell lines. Treating fluoropolymer waste before microplastics form therefore represents a significant opportunity.
UK Content and Market Potential
The technology was developed entirely at the University of Birmingham. Target markets include fluoropolymer manufacturers with off-spec resin batches, component manufacturers producing machining swarf and offcuts, and industrial users of membranes, seals and chemical-processing equipment. Over the past four months, more than 30 discussions have been held with stakeholders including Gujarat Fluorochemicals, 3M, James Walker, American Pan, EQYO (Saint-Gobain), Infinity Recycling and Sulzer. Three NDA/MTA agreements have been signed, and sample testing has produced promising results indicating that the technology is widely applicable. The target is to spin out within the next two to three months, subject to securing investment and at least one R&D contract. The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) is supporting the project, and candidates have already been identified for CEO, CTO, CSO and COO roles. Technical leads Dominik Kubicki and Erli Lu have a combined track record of securing approximately £15 million in public funding for frontier research. The team has also attended Interplas 2026 and exhibited at Plastics Recycling and Sustainability 2026, where discussions were held with potential future clients.
More Information: Calcium metal mechanochemically defluorinates PFAS to environmentally benign CaF2 https://we.tl/t-KZQ5im9h898iTPro RSC Emerging Technologies Competition https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/mechanochemical-upcycling-of-teflon-creates-valuablefluorinated-molecules/4022410.article https://cen.acs.org/materials/polymers/reaction-turns-teflon-toothpastes-key/103/web/2025/10 Our very recent perspective on low-temperature destruction of PTFE: https://pubs.rsc.org/sc/article/doi/10.1039/d6sc03192g/1266439/Recent-advances-in-the-degradationof PTFE microplastics in lung and placenta samples: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37419366/ PTFE toxicity in human cells: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-025-01885-w
12 COtooCLEAN™ Plant by Coveris and Nextek COtooCLEAN™ is a food-grade plastic film recycling technology developed by Nextek and scaled with Coveris to enable safe recycling of post-consumer flexible packaging. Using low-pressure supercritical CO₂ extraction, it removes oils, odours and embedded contaminants from recycled PE and PP films, producing high-quality resin with the potential for food-contact use. Launched in April 2026 at Coveris’ Louth site, the demonstration plant is now undertaking industrial trials to support future European regulatory approval.
Innovation and Problem Solving Flexible plastic films account for a significant proportion of plastic packaging but remain difficult to recycle back into food-contact applications due to contamination challenges. Existing mechanical recycling methods cannot reliably remove embedded contaminants to food-grade standards and often rely on energy-intensive hot washing and chemical treatments. COtooCLEAN™ addresses this challenge through supercritical CO₂ extraction. In its supercritical state, CO₂ penetrates deep into the polymer structure, removing oils, fats, odours and legacy contaminants that conventional recycling technologies cannot effectively eliminate. The process acts like a dry-cleaning system for plastics, delivering high levels of purification without water or harsh chemicals. The technology provides a critical decontamination step that complements existing mechanical recycling infrastructure, creating the potential to produce food-grade recycled flexible films at scale. The operational demonstration plant represents the first industrial-scale validation of the technology and is generating the evidence required to support future regulatory approval and wider industry adoption.
Sustainability and Social Impact COtooCLEAN™ directly supports plastics circularity by creating a viable route for post-consumer flexible packaging to be recycled into high-value food-contact applications, reducing reliance on virgin fossil-based materials. The process is waterless and avoids harsh chemicals while delivering high levels of purification. Its estimated carbon footprint is approximately 0.03kg CO₂ per kilogram of processed recyclate, compared with around 2kg CO₂ per kilogram for virgin PE production, creating the potential for substantial carbon savings through increased recycled content use. The project also supports compliance with emerging legislation, including UK pEPR and the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). By increasing both the quality and quantity of recycled flexible plastics available to the market, COtooCLEAN™ helps accelerate the transition towards a more circular packaging value chain.
UK Content and Market Potential The COtooCLEAN™ demonstration plant is located at Coveris’ manufacturing site in Louth, Lincolnshire, where industrial-scale trials are being undertaken. The project combines Nextek’s innovation with Coveris’ recycling expertise and operational infrastructure to create a solution capable of transforming flexible film recycling. The market opportunity is substantial. According to WRAP, flexible films and packaging account for 27% of consumer plastic packaging in the UK, yet only 7% is currently recycled. Around 68% of
flexible packaging consists of mono-material PE and PP structures that are technically recyclable if suitable collection, sorting and decontamination technologies are available.[1] Industrial trials commenced in April 2026 and will provide the operational data needed for European regulatory approval, helping establish commercial viability and scalability. Successful deployment would enable greater use of food-grade recycled content across packaging markets, supporting UK manufacturing, innovation and investment while creating a scalable model for wider international adoption.
More Information: [#1] https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/report/circular-films-pathways-scalable-recycling-execsummary#download-file Download supporting evidence here: https://we.tl/t-4CkVMom0ONS55JCP Please see a video on YouTube here
13 CP 1208 Circular Pallet by Tosca UK Services Ltd The Tosca CP 1208 Circular Pallet is a reusable Euro-standard (1200 × 800 mm) plastic pallet made from 100% recycled, non-porous plastic and designed to replace single-use wooden pallets in FMCG, retail and food supply chains. Deployed through Tosca’s pooling model, it is rented, RFID-tracked,
collected, cleaned and reissued, providing a durable, standardised and traceable solution that reduces single-use waste while supporting hygiene, product protection and circular economy goals.
Innovation and Problem Solving Wooden pallets remain widely used but present systemic inefficiencies, including variability in size and strength, the risk of splinters and nails, contamination from moisture and pests, and incompatibility with automated systems. These issues can lead to product damage, downtime and ongoing material waste. The CP 1208 addresses these challenges through integrated product and system innovation. Its fixed-form, Euro-standard design provides the dimensional consistency required for robotics, conveyors and automated storage systems. Engineered features, including anti-slip surfaces, deck grooves to secure crates without strapping, and rounded skid edges, improve load stability and reduce handling damage. Its durable recycled plastic structure also resists moisture, bacteria and breakage while remaining repairable to extend lifespan. The solution is reinforced by Tosca’s pooling system, which manages reverse logistics, inspection, cleaning and redistribution. RFID-enabled tracking improves asset visibility and reduces loss rates, addressing a key limitation of traditional pallet systems. The CP 1208 is already deployed in FMCG and retail environments, demonstrating robustness, scalability and compatibility with modern supply chain requirements. Circular alternative to single-use pallets. Reuse reduces CO₂ per trip. 100% recycled and fully recyclable at end-of-life.
Sustainability and Social Impact The CP 1208 is designed as a circular alternative to single-use pallets, delivering environmental benefits through reuse, durability and material recovery. Key impacts include reduced material consumption through repeated reuse, lower lifecycle emissions by reducing CO₂ per trip compared with disposable systems, and waste reduction through pooling that keeps pallets in circulation. The pallet is also made from 100% recycled plastic and is fully recyclable at end of life. The CP 1208 supports compliance with evolving regulations such as PPWR and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). Socially, the design improves worker safety and wellbeing by reducing manual handling strain and eliminating nails and splinters that can cause injuries. Hygiene is also improved through a nonporous, easy-to-clean surface with integrated drainage, reducing contamination risk, particularly in food supply chains. Together, these features demonstrate a clear link between circular design and safer, more resilient supply chain operations.
UK Content and Market Potential The CP 1208 is deployed through Tosca’s established UK and European pooling infrastructure, including service centres, logistics partners and customer networks. This enables local pallet circulation, collection, washing and redistribution, supporting UK supply chain efficiency and employment. Target sectors include UK grocery retail, FMCG and food production, where businesses face increasing pressure to improve sustainability, automation compatibility and regulatory compliance.
The pallet integrates directly with standard Euro pallet systems (1200 × 800 mm), avoiding costly infrastructure changes and supporting faster adoption. Market traction is reinforced by growing demand for reusable transport packaging and the shift away from one-way systems driven by cost, waste and regulation. The CP 1208 also complements existing Tosca pooling assets, including RPCs, enabling full system adoption. The route to scale is practical and proven, using existing pooling networks, customer relationships and service infrastructure. With increasing automation, regulatory pressure and sustainability targets across UK supply chains, the CP 1208 represents a commercially credible and scalable solution for long-term growth.
14 Glass-Reinforced Polypropylene Compounds Designed to Reduce Cycle Times by Sumika Polymer Compounds (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
THERMOFILXP is a glass-fibre-reinforced polypropylene compound developed by Sumika Polymer Compounds for the automotive sector. Independently validated by SKZ in Germany, it delivers superior mechanical performance compared with standard PP-GF compounds while reducing cycle times by 10%, helping component suppliers and OEMs increase productivity, lower energy consumption per part and reduce manufacturing costs without compromising technical performance.
Innovation and Problem Solving
OEMs need to reduce operational and energy costs while maintaining high mechanical performance. Improving productivity without compromising the dimensional accuracy of complex parts is a major technical challenge for glass-fibre-reinforced polypropylene compounds. THERMOFILXP addresses this challenge. Validated by the independent SKZ laboratory, the compound reduces cycle time from 46.4 seconds to 41.0 seconds, an 11.6% reduction compared with standard PP-GF30. This is achieved through shorter holding time, from 15.9 to 14 seconds, and cooling time, from 28.9 to 24.4 seconds, while maintaining the same dimensional shrinkage. Its mechanical properties, including a tensile modulus of up to 8,700 MPa, also enable THERMOFILXP to replace polyamide (PA6/PA66 GF30) in structural applications. The innovation addresses both economic and technical constraints by freeing up to one month of machine capacity per year, extending mould service life, reducing electricity consumption and providing a more competitive alternative to polyamides.
Sustainability and Social Impact THERMOFILXP offers an immediate route to decarbonisation through energy savings and the replacement of higher-carbon resins. Its nearly 10% reduction in cycle time directly lowers the electricity consumption of injection moulding machines during production. With a tensile modulus of up to 8,700 MPa, THERMOFILXP can replace PA6-GF30 and PA66-GF30 polyamides in structural applications. Its carbon footprint is 1.8 t CO₂ eq/t, compared with 5.0 t for PA66-GF30 and 5.5 t for PA6-GF30, representing a direct reduction of around 65% in material-related CO₂ emissions. THERMOFILXP also has a lower density of 1.12 g/cm³ compared with approximately 1.30 g/cm³ for conventional polyamide, enabling an 18% weight saving in final components. For the automotive market, this weight reduction contributes directly to lower vehicle energy consumption during use.
UK Content and Market Potential Sumika Polymer Compounds Europe operates through a network of seven production sites, including a major plant in Havant, UK. Established since 1950, its local teams have built long-standing strategic partnerships with the majority of the country’s car manufacturers and automotive suppliers. With a local production capacity of 30 tonnes per year, the Havant site provides a direct, responsive supply with a low logistical footprint for the UK market. This infrastructure enables THERMOFILXP to be rolled out at scale to industrial players across the region. By operating across the entire value chain, from formulation to the injection moulding of parts, THERMOFILXP has the potential to be integrated into numerous interior and exterior applications in vehicles manufactured in the UK. This local network supports effective marketing and provides British manufacturers with a turnkey solution to improve productivity while reducing costs and carbon footprint.
More Information: Click below to download the supporting evidence https://we.tl/t-mE12DJu7FGwsKGFB
15 Recorelite - Lightweight Panel Made from Recycled Plastic by Foresight Innovations Ltd Recorelite is a lightweight, high-strength panel originally developed for van flooring, where reducing weight can lower fuel consumption. Engineered to withstand concentrated point loads from hard nylon wheels, it combines an ABS structure with a proprietary joining process, recycled content and full endof-life recyclability, delivering strength, low weight and high recycled content at a competitive cost.
Innovation and Problem Solving Traditional hollow-core structures provide out-of-plane stiffness but lack sufficient shear strength unless reinforced in multiple directions, which standard extrusion processes cannot achieve. Recorelite overcomes this through a chevron-shaped, truss-like corrugation based on a Miura-Ori folding pattern. This geometry provides consistent support under point loading while delivering multidirectional strength. Historically, such structures required complex and commercially non-viable manufacturing methods. By exploiting the viscoelastic forming behaviour of amorphous thermoplastics, Recorelite enables a simplified, continuous in-line folding process and a robust core-forming system suitable for scale. A second critical innovation is its proprietary fusion bonding technique, which delivers weld-level strength between the skins and core without introducing contaminants. This eliminates delamination risk while preserving full recyclability.
Together, these innovations create a high-performance, durable and cost-effective engineering panel ready for scale across demanding real-world applications.
Sustainability and Social Impact Recorelite is manufactured from 100% recycled ABS and is fully recyclable at end of life, including reuse into new Recorelite panels, supporting a circular materials model. Production is UK-based using domestically sourced recyclate, reducing transport-related emissions. While processing requires energy for extrusion and forming, there is a clear pathway to further reduce carbon intensity through low-carbon electricity. The material’s footprint is approximately 20% that of virgin ABS. Compared with alternative materials, Recorelite reduces environmental impact in multiple ways. It avoids reliance on timber, helping to mitigate deforestation, and prevents plastic waste from entering landfill. Structurally, it achieves a 46% weight reduction compared with solid plastic sheets while maintaining equivalent rigidity. Compared with plywood, it is approximately 30% lighter and offers improved durability through resistance to moisture and abrasion. In transport applications, weight reduction directly lowers lifecycle emissions. It is estimated that every 1 kg reduction in vehicle weight saves approximately 3 kg of CO₂ over its lifetime, making Recorelite particularly relevant for mobility and logistics sectors transitioning to lower-emission solutions.
UK Content and Market Potential Recorelite is a UK-developed and UK-manufactured innovation, supported by Innovate UK and delivered through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Nottingham Trent University. Its development has also involved collaboration with NCC, Tata Technologies, the University of Exeter and multiple UK SMEs. Since entering production in spring 2024, Recorelite has progressed into commercial use across sectors including shelving systems, electric vehicle flooring and micro-mobility cargo applications. A major customer is currently completing homologation for large-scale van floor deployment, providing further market validation. Additional markets include flight cases and point-of-sale systems, where early traction has been established. Partnerships with UK distributors are supporting market penetration and feedstock management, while discussions with European partners are supporting international expansion. Current production capacity is approximately 18,000 m² per year, with planned expansion to around 70,000 m² by late 2026 to meet demand from large-scale projects. The UK van flooring market alone exceeds 1,000,000 m² annually, representing a significant opportunity for Recorelite as a lightweight and durable alternative.
16 A 100% Bio-Based, High-Moisture-Barrier CNF-Zein Film for Sustainable Food Packaging by University of Cambridge (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award)
A biodegradable film has been developed by combining cellulose nanofibrils derived from rapeseed straw with zein protein, a byproduct of corn starch processing, using green solvents and temperature effects to create a uniform blend. The resulting material reduces water vapour permeability by 50% compared with neat cellulose films and offers a circular-economy alternative to single-use plastic films for short-shelf-life packaging applications.
Innovation and Problem Solving Standard approaches to improving the moisture-barrier limitations of CNF films and coatings rely heavily on chemical functionalisation. This typically requires hazardous synthetic additives and nongreen solvents, producing modified networks that are far less biodegradable and undermining the original sustainability benefits of using CNFs in food packaging. This innovation addresses that challenge using two 100% bio-based waste streams: corn zein and rapeseed straw, processed through standard solution casting. By mapping the solubility of these thermodynamically dissimilar polymers in simple, recoverable ethanol/water solvents as a function of temperature, a macroscopically uniform and visually homogeneous blend was achieved. Microstructural characterisation revealed a vertically stratified structure in which small zein domains act as physical pore blockers on the surface of the reticulate CNF mesh. Modelling of water vapour transport through the composite showed that, at high moisture pressures, the zein phase significantly reduces the plasticisation component of the network’s effective water vapour diffusivity. This inhibits the swelling and free-volume expansion found in neat CNF membranes, improving the water vapour barrier properties of the blend film.
Sustainability and Social Impact This project embeds circular-economy and societal wellbeing principles directly into its material lifecycle by upcycling agricultural waste, including rapeseed straw, and industrial byproducts from starch production, including corn zein. This avoids carbon-intensive fossil fuel extraction and synthetic polymer processing. The film is 100% bio-based and intrinsically biodegradable. Unlike conventional plastic films that use hazardous chemicals and can compromise end-of-life composting, the CNF-Zein blend leaves no microplastic or chemical footprint after use, returning safe organic matter to the soil ecosystem. The innovation also addresses challenges in nutrition and regional resource resilience. Halving water vapour permeability extends the suitability of CNF films for packaging fresh produce and bakery goods, providing a plastic-free route to help combat food waste and improve supply-chain food security. By using domestic UK agricultural streams such as rapeseed straw, the technology also creates a secondary, decentralised value chain for local farmers.
UK Content and Market Potential This innovation offers strong commercial credibility by establishing a resilient, domestically sourced value chain for sustainable packaging. Rapeseed is a vital UK break crop, and using its leftover straw creates a new income stream for British farmers. Using zein also creates additional revenue opportunities for domestic agricultural refineries handling corn-starch processing streams. By converting these low-value agricultural streams into high-value barrier membranes, the technology retains manufacturing value within the UK economy. Market potential for the CNF-zein blend is promising, with the achieved water vapour permeability suited to replacing fossil-fuel plastics in high-volume flexible packaging applications such as fresh produce bags, sandwich wraps and cut-out window covers for baked goods boxes.
The innovation is currently at an advanced laboratory scale. The immediate 12-to-18-month commercialisation roadmap focuses on progressing from batch solution casting to continuous roll-toroll pilot line trials with industrial conversion partners. Because the formulation relies on standard solution casting mechanics, it is designed for integration into existing UK industrial coating lines with minimal capital expenditure. This provides UK food manufacturers with a scalable, circular packaging option while strengthening the British agricultural bio-economy.
17 Cav-Bal®: Practical Method for Balancing Hot Runner Cavities by Moulding Optimisation Ltd (Opted for the Horner’s David Williams Award) Cav-Bal® is a UK-developed method for balancing multi-cavity hot runner injection moulds using measured cavity weight data, with Cav-Bal®PRO providing the software platform to apply the method consistently. By analysing short-shot cavity weights, it calculates the hot runner tip temperature changes needed to improve balance and adapts subsequent calculations to the specific mould, providing a data-led approach without in-cavity sensors, machine integration or additional hardware.
Innovation and Problem Solving The main innovation behind Cav-Bal® is a practical calculation method that converts measured cavity imbalance into hot runner temperature corrections, then adapts those corrections using the actual response of the mould. In many moulding trials, it is easy to identify which cavities are filling more or less than others. The harder question is what to do next: how much to adjust each tip, how wide the temperature profile
should be, and how to respond once the tool reacts. Cav-Bal® was developed to make this process more consistent. The method uses short-shot cavity weights to calculate a correction profile. After each profile is tested, Cav-Bal®PRO learns from the actual mould response and uses that information to improve the next calculation. This allows the study to adapt to the behaviour of the specific tool rather than relying only on fixed rules or manual judgement. Cav-Bal®PRO provides the user interface, graphs, study storage and reporting, while the core value lies in the calculation method itself. A published 8-cavity case study showed measured imbalance reducing from 9.58% to 0.61% in three calculated profiles.
Sustainability and Social Impact Cav-Bal® supports sustainability by helping moulders reach a balanced process with less trial work, fewer adjustments and less avoidable scrap. When a hot runner tool is not balanced, processors may compensate by changing process settings, overpacking some cavities, extending trials or accepting a higher level of rejects. Cav-Bal® provides a more direct route: measure the imbalance, calculate the correction, test the new profile and allow the software to adapt the next correction from the measured result. The environmental benefit comes mainly through process efficiency. A formal life-cycle assessment has not yet been carried out, so no wider carbon claims are being made. However, reducing trial shots, wasted material, unnecessary machine time and rejected parts provides a clear practical benefit. In high-cavity moulding, small improvements can be significant because every cycle produces multiple parts. There is also a wider benefit in medical and other high-tolerance moulding sectors. Balanced, stable and well-documented processes help support reliable production of polymer components used in healthcare, diagnostics and regulated products. Cav-Bal® does not replace validation or quality systems but provides engineers with a clearer method and better evidence to support them.
UK Content and Market Potential Cav-Bal® was developed in the UK by Adam Clitherow, Director of Moulding Optimisation Ltd, based on practical experience in scientific injection moulding, medical-device validation, process optimisation and hot runner troubleshooting. The method, calculation logic, software development, documentation and commercial route to market are UK-led. Target users include injection moulders, toolmakers, medical-device manufacturers, caps and closures producers, automotive suppliers and technical moulders operating multi-cavity hot runner tools. These companies often require faster trials, improved balance, lower reject risk and clearer documentation, without the cost or complexity of sensor-based systems. Cav-Bal®PRO is at early commercial launch stage. A fully featured trial is available through the Moulding Optimisation Ltd website, with annual licensing offered per PC. The launch has also received coverage through PlastikMedia, providing visibility within the UK plastics sector. The growth plan includes direct software licensing, technical support, consultancy-led implementation where useful, further case studies from real moulding trials, and potential partnerships with moulding trainers, consultants and processors. As standalone software, the method can be used internationally while remaining UK-developed and UK-owned.
More Information:
Cav-Bal®PRO product page: https://mouldingoptimisation.ltd/hot-runner-cavity-balance-software/ Cav-Bal® 8-cavity hot runner balance case study https://mouldingoptimisation.ltd/hot-runner-cavity-balance-software/cav-bal-case-study-8cavity-hot-runner-balance/ PlastikMedia launch coverage https://www.plastikmedia.co.uk/moulding-optimisation-cav-bal-pro/ Moulding Optimisation Ltd website https://mouldingoptimisation.ltd/ Additional evaluation material: Judges may download and evaluate Cav-Bal®PRO if required. A temporary evaluation licence/access route can be provided for judging purposes. An anonymised Cav-Bal®PRO study file can also be supplied, allowing the judges to open a real study, review the workflow, and see how cavity weight data is converted into calculated hot runner temperature corrections.
18 Glazing for Rallycars Made by P4P from Coated Polycarbonate Sheet by Plastics4Performance P4P develops and manufactures high-quality polycarbonate glazing for rally cars, NASCAR vehicles and individual drivers, building on the UK’s heritage of automotive design, engineering and quality. Its windshields and other glazing products use specialist coatings to provide properties such as abrasion and antifog resistance, delivering the durability and performance required in motorsport applications.
Innovation and Problem Solving Polycarbonate glazing units are typically post-coated after thermoforming. P4P uses a different approach, applying specially developed formable hardcoats to flat sheet before thermoforming them through its in-house developed process. The coatings are designed specifically for these applications and comply with industry standards including ECE R43, demonstrating the quality and performance required for automotive glazing.
Sustainability and Social Impact Polycarbonate has approximately half the density of glass and a multiaxial impact resistance 250 times higher than standard float glass, making it a more sustainable solution by default. With surface enhancements providing comparable abrasion and weathering resistance to standard glass, it combines reduced weight with durability and long-term performance.
UK Content and Market Potential P4P is strongly rooted in the UK economy, with production based in the Bolton area. The company also supplies its products to a range of UK businesses operating within the motorsport sector.
More Information: https://www.plastics4performance.com/