The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and its industry partners have been awarded over £16 million of funding through Innovate UK's Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme (SMMIP) to deliver two Grand Challenge projects that will transform sustainability across the pharmaceutical industry.
We are delighted to confirm that Impact Recycling is part of the SusPack consortium — "Beyond single-use plastics: Processing innovation driving sustainable pharmaceutical packaging" — led by NPL alongside 12 partners from across the pharmaceutical packaging value chain.
About SusPack
Over the next 3.5 years, the SusPack team will develop the world's first circular recycling and bio-based packaging solutions for three clinical waste streams that are currently incinerated due to contamination concerns. The initiative directly supports the NHS's Net Zero 2040 commitment and aims to benefit pharmaceutical communities globally by improving the sustainability profile of pharmaceutical packaging.
The project is expected to deliver significant economic and environmental benefits, including:
- Reducing hazardous waste handling costs by up to 30–40%
- Lowering logistics costs and emissions through domestic recycling and bio-based manufacturing
- Strengthening the UK's circular economy and reducing reliance on imported raw materials
- Creating a resilient domestic supply chain for sustainable pharmaceutical packaging
NPL is leading the development of a comprehensive analytical technology platform for recycled plastics, biopolymers and sustainable feedstocks to ensure product quality, safety and regulatory compliance.
What this means for Impact Recycling
Participation in SusPack underlines the role that high-quality recycled polymers must play in decarbonising healthcare. Working alongside NPL and the wider consortium gives Impact Recycling the opportunity to apply its BOSS separation technology and PCR expertise to some of the most challenging waste streams in the pharmaceutical sector — turning material previously destined for incineration into circular, traceable feedstock for new packaging.
The wider programme
Alongside SusPack, NPL is also working on InSPIREmed ("Photonic Sensing for Efficient, Low-Waste Medicines Manufacture"), led by the Fraunhofer Institute, which will develop advanced Raman, mid-infrared and particle analysis tools for real-time measurement in pharmaceutical processes — supporting accelerated crystallisation control, more efficient freeze-drying and process intensification for biologics.
Together, the two projects strengthen the UK's leadership in sustainable, data-driven medicines manufacturing.
Read the full NPL announcement here and the wider government announcement here.