The Global Research and Innovation in Plastics Sustainability Conference 2024 (GRIPS 2024) returns for its fourth year, showcasing 2024’s leading innovations in plastic sustainability.
Set to take place at the University of Sheffield on 19 September, the one-day event is being organised by Innovate UK in partnership with the British Plastics Federation (BPF), with sponsorship from the Worshipful Company of Horners and Plastics Europe.
The agenda features three conference streams covering the hottest topics in the field of plastics sustainability, from green chemistry to global plastic initiatives and from additives to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations driving sophisticated sorting and detection. With speakers ranging from leading academics and policy makers to ground-breaking innovators and NGOs, the conference streams are themed as follows:
Stream 1 - Sustainability:
- Plastics as part of our sustainable future
- Driving plastic packaging sustainability: the critical building blocks
- Reuse and refill: are we at a tipping point?
- International drivers and actions for future polymer sustainability
Stream 2 - Recycling:
- Capacity and infrastructure
- Depolymerisation for circularity
- Applications of AI to improve sustainability
- Poster session and Horners Awards
Stream 3 - Materials:
- Green chemistry
- Additives and fillers
- New business models and behaviour change
- Plastics in Aquatic Environments
This year’s keynote sessions will be delivered by the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures’ plastics sustainability experts, Professor Rachael Rothman and Dr Fanran Meng, who will discuss the ongoing challenge of finding alternative materials to plastic that reduce net carbon emissions. The event is also supported by UKRI’s £60m Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK.
The in-person event will also feature the option for delegates to attend virtually, with all speaker sessions in the sustainability stream to be live-streamed throughout the day, and recordings of all the conference streams available post-event.
Knowledge Transfer Manager at Innovate UK Business Connect and Founder of the UK Circular Plastics Network, Prof. Sally Beken, said: “Plastics play a critical role in industries like healthcare, food preservation, the built environment, and so many more. Therefore, finding ways to make plastics as sustainable as possible will be essential as we look to reduce carbon emissions and move towards net zero.
“The GRIPS conference is a fantastic opportunity for academics, industry leaders and the media to learn about the world’s leading innovations and research into more sustainable solutions, with the goal of turning these into real-world applications.”
BPF Director General Philip Law added: “To work with Innovate UK on delivering this unique event is a real honour for the BPF. GRIPS 2024 will showcase the best innovations globally from across industry and academia to further improve the sustainability of plastic – an essential material the world relies upon. I would also like to thank Jane Williams and the Worshipful Company of Horners for the kind and generous support made in memory of the late David Williams, past President of the BPF and past Master of The Worshipful Company of Horners.”
The conference is free to attend and takes place 19 September in Sheffield University's building 'The Wave'. To secure your spot at this year’s event, click here: https://iuk.ktn-uk.org/events/grips-2024/