Research
The primary aim of the Rethinking Resources and Recycling project is to reduce the need for plastic by addressing demand and consumer behaviour as well as developing circular economy business models for users to eliminate their plastic waste.
We will also evaluate challenges facing new manufacturing processes, and take a practical element with our scientists developing polymers for cleaner degradation and novel soft plastic recycling and micro-plastic removal methods.
The University of Manchester based project has several specific elements looking at plastic production and uses across both consumer-led and industrial sectors. The diverse team of researchers will lead a portfolio of interdisciplinary projects to tackle this grand challenge, exploring new and different ways of making, using and recycling plastics.
Other PRIF Centres
- University of Cambridge – Cambridge Creative Circular Plastics Centre
- University of Exeter – ExeMPLaR – Multidisciplinary Plastics Research Hub
- University of Hull – Evolving a Circular Plastics Economy
- Imperial College London – Holistic integration of technology, design and policy for a greener plastic future
- Queen’s University Belfast – Advancing Creative Circular Economies for Plastics via Technological-Social Transitions (ACCEPT)
- Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Sheffield – Plastics: Redefining Single-Use
- University College London – Designing-out Plastic Waste
Our expertise
We focus on several key areas of research in plastic waste.
Publications
See all our research outputs from this project.
Get in touch
Follow our activities or get in touch to find out more about our project.
The RE3 team
Find out who’s involved in the RE3 project at The University of Manchester.