Perpetual plastic for food to go: a design-led approach to polymer research

There is both an increasing awareness and concern that human activity is responsible for the climate crisis. The role of polymers within this narrative is not always clear, but by industries engaging in linear economic systems there will always be a need for new plastic production, and the associated planetary cost that comes with it, to meet demand. This is a particular issue for the UK Food to Go industry where single-use plastic packaging plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the packaged contents. The circular economy, in which there would be multiple closed-loop cycles of plastic reuse before recycling, offers a promising direction but there are several barriers to the UK Food to Go industry's transition. This perspective article introduces a design-led approach to polymer research, highlighting three advantages that could help to overcome these barriers: frame creation as a way for synthesising complex issues towards novel research directions; the potential for changing consumer behaviour through scripted material characteristics; and multidisciplinary working as a facilitator of knowledge generation and transfer. The article concludes with an introduction to the Perpetual Plastic for Food to Go project, a design-led research project that combines polymer chemistry with sustainable manufacturing and design to reduce the impact of UK Food to Go plastic packaging.