Why do consumers continue to purchase plastic packaging products, even when they have real concerns for the environment and tend to feel positively about more sustainable solutions? How do supply chain actors respond to consumer attitudes & behaviours in relation to the use of plastic packaging? How can we implement enhanced waste management strategies which go beyond conventional plastic packaging solutions? Focusing on the food sector, we aim to answer such questions by developing a better understanding of plastic packaging throughout the whole supply chain, from production to consumption to post-consumption. If industry and policy are to have any realistic chance of significantly reducing plastic wastage in the UK and abroad, a thorough understanding of the functions of plastic packaging in consumers' lives is needed. However, this understanding needs to be connected to business and waste management practices, to tackle key pinch points inhibiting the drive toward cleaner, greener growth. The interdisciplinary research will be a collaborative effort between researchers at Lancaster University (from the Management School, the Department of Chemistry, the Materials Science Institute) and an extensive network of industry partners, including: supermarkets (Waitrose - UK Plastic Pact consortium member & Booths); food suppliers (Bells of Lazonby & Butlers Larder); next generation packaging producers (BioTech Services Ltd); professional industry networks (Chartered Institute of Waste Management & Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining); waste management companies (Preston Plastics & Precious plastic); and local councils (Lancaster City Council). We take a mixed-method approach, drawing on archival data, ethnographic techniques, multi-case study analysis, action-based research, mixed-desk and field-based research, to explore multiple perspectives on plastic packaging in the food sector. This research speaks directly to the UK's Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge objectives and UK Plastic PACT 2025 targets. Working with stakeholders along the supply chain, this research will provide valuable insights to increase collaboration and shared understanding along the UK food plastic packaging supply chain in order to create a sense of shared responsibility and improved packaging options. The novelty of this project is that it gathers insights from consumers and their plastic packaging consumption and disposal, but also brings those insights to supply chain stakeholders (producers, retailers, re-users and waste management organisations) and in so doing, develops a detailed and rich understanding of how the attitude-behaviour gap can be addressed. This would allow the team to develop practical guidance on ways to influence people's packaging behaviour. Specifically, we will provide guidance on ways that producers can influence consumers in this domain, to provide consumers with more sustainable and attractive packaging alternatives, or redesign products/operational processes that promote resource productivity and avoid plastic waste. We will also develop guidance for post-consumer packaging organisations on consumer attitudes and discarded plastic packaging indicating drivers, barriers and opportunities for alternative plastic packaging (reusable, recyclable or compostable), effective recycling, and further investment in material recapture. For a more circular, sustainable model of manufacturing, consumption and disposal centred on next generation packaging to be developed, we need this detailed analysis of consumer behaviour around packaging, alongside a deep understanding of business and waste management practices. This holistic view of plastic packaging in people's lives will drive cleaner, greener growth.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.

The increasing frequency of extreme climate events in the UK suggests the approach of the 'Perfect Storm' described by Beddington (2009). In 2012 an early season drought followed by extreme rainfall and flooding over extensive areas of the UK drove the need for the 'climate smart' agriculture that will be used here to address the dual challenges of climate change and food security. Over an 80h period in November 2012, more than 46 x 106L of rain fell on the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP), 90% of which was immediately lost as overland flow or in drainage. Droughts also challenge the sustainability of UK grasslands and occur increasingly in winter where the warmer temperatures now encountered encourage continued winter growth placing drought susceptible varieties at risk. UK grasslands occupy 65% of all available agricultural land and unlike most other crops comprise perennial species that provide crop yields over many years. The combination of their extensive land-cover and persistency provides grasslands opportunities for environmental service in addition to their traditional roles as high quality forage for livestock agriculture. This is achieved through selection of the appropriate varieties and when necessary their modification, and improved grassland management, with benefits likely to persist over years. Grasslands provide catchments for many UK rivers and act as regulators of water capture, its release, and quality dependent on their composition. IBERS is widely recognised for innovative approaches to breeding grass and clover varieties. However, variety development has untill now neglected programmes to improve root design or the opportunities for improved root-soil interactions that will deliver improved soil structure, hydrology, nutrient use and reduce the compaction that compromises crop yields. A recent BBSRC study published in Nature Scientific Reports (involving the PI of this proposal) demonstrated the potential for a novel grass species hybrid to initiate significant root-soil interactions that would if reproduced at the field-scale generate significant benefits in terms of flood control (DOI:10.1038/srep01683). Equivalent results have been recorded in white clover. In the current project, the potential of both for flood control will be assessed at the field scale, independently and as mixtures. The project will use two new BBSRC-supported National Capabilities: the National Plant Phenomics Centre (NPPC) and the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP). The project will investigate at different scales from the individual plant genotype, to the plot, through to the crop the potential for environmental service that may be achieved through a modified root design or growth pattern. The results achieved from the NPCC and NWFP facilities will be validated by testing selected varieties on commercial farms in diverse locations and under alternative livestock management systems. The proposal will use the latest BBSRC high-throughput phenomic and genomic technologies, with a suite of well characterised and relevant experimental populations together with molecular markers to engage in marker-assisted breeding for improved root designs in elite forage grass and clover varieties. Plant materials suitable for entry into National List trials will be developed within the time-course of the project. This proposal is being submitted through the BBSRC stand-alone LINK scheme. The project will benefit from the involvement of industrial partners that represent the various sectors of the UK grassland and livestock industry allowing for identification and review of key targets, and evaluation of the impact of the research, dissemination of the results within the grassland sector, and uptake and delivery of project outcomes.

Doctoral Training Partnerships: a range of postgraduate training is funded by the Research Councils. For information on current funding routes, see the common terminology at https://www.ukri.org/apply-for-funding/how-we-fund-studentships/. Training grants may be to one organisation or to a consortia of research organisations. This portal will show the lead organisation only.