Plasticity covers a variety of topics that touch on all aspects of the plastic lifecycle from manufacture to recycling

These include material development, design, packaging, re-use, new materials, case studies in waste management, recycling and waste-to-fuel.

The 6th Plasticity Forum – “Designing for the Future – Plastic and the Circular Economy” was held in London as part of the London Design Festival on September 21st. The event helped to bridge the gap between the design community, and experts who work with plastic, recycling and the aspects of sustainability which relate to waste reduction. Download Press Release Here.
(Photo: David Wilson – Vanden Recycling)

Plasticity London followed on from the spring event in Shanghai, again bringing together experts from across the plastics spectrum to discuss innovation and the dynamics of scaling processes, materials and recycling to reduce waste and create value.

Plasticity is a unique event, convening global experts from across the plastic spectrum to share experiences on opportunities and challenges with plastic sustainability and inclusion in the circular economy, thus bringing about the large scale changes that are required in order to reduce its waste impacts. The event offers “a big conversation on the future of plastic,” and discusses where opportunities can be created related to recycled content, resource recovery, job creation and waste reduction.

The event was positioned as part of the London Design Festival because frequently design community is not at the table regarding sustainability discussions, options and opportunities. Designers therefore may not realize all of the issues and complexities which are associated with plastic vis-à-vis materials, processes and recycled content which could make big impacts in reducing the waste footprint associated with plastic products, and where improvements can positively impact the products and brands they work with.

Some of the global expert speakers in this uniquely focused event, which covers a wide spectrum of topics within the plastic space, included Mr. Chris Grantham, Circular Economy Portfolio Director from one of the world’s leading design companies, IDEO, Mr. Peter Lacy, Global Managing Director of Sustainability Services at Accenture, Mr. Willem De Vos, CEO of the Society of Plastics Engineers, and Mr. Simon Widmer, Project Manager – Circular Design, Ellen MacCarthur Foundation.