Entrepreneurs, innovators and designers from the world over will be joining representatives from the British Plastics Federation and a lineup of global expert speakers including Chris Grantham, circular economy portfolio director at global design company IDEO; Quentin Drewell, UK circular economy lead at Accenture; Willem De Vos, CEO, Society of Plastics Engineers; Simon Widmer, Ellen MacArthur Foundation project manager of circular design; David Wilson, director of Vanden Recycling; and Pankaj Pancholi, president of Just Egg, a maker of a polymer additive from egg shells.
Part of the London Design Festival, the Plasticity Forum’s mission is to help raise awareness on issues and complexities associated with plastic materials, processes and recycled content. “Plastic is an incredibly valuable material due to its light weight, durability and versatile properties, but because of these very qualities, it is complex to handle when thrown away. The lack of infrastructure in waste and recycling around the world has not kept pace with the material’s broad use,” says Doug Woodring, founder of Plasticity.
Held most recently this past spring in Shanghai, China, the event will discuss possibilities where opportunities can be created related to recycled content, product reuse, resource recovery, job creation and waste reduction.
Plasticity London will discuss designing for recycling and the standardisation of materials; opportunities in manufacturing for the use of recycled content; ways to reduce plastic waste impact and improve brand value; reverse supply chains, bring-back programs and engage customers; scaling for circular economies within industrial and municipal environments; turning waste streams into profit streams; and the recycling tipping point—transforming public beliefs and actions.
The all-day event at the Royal Society of Arts is looking to attract brand leaders and innovators, manufacturers and retailers, biopolymer and resin makers, designers, packaging producers, angel investors, entrepreneurs, government agencies and policy makers, educators and think tanks.
