About this Event
The RECOUP Plastics Assembly 2026 brings together leaders from industry, policy, and science to advance practical solutions for a circular economy for plastics. Created in response to increasing regulatory, environmental, and market pressures, The RECOUP Plastics Assembly is a focused, action-oriented event connecting decision-makers across the plastics value chain - those shaping design, production, regulation, recovery, and re-use.
A key feature of the event is the Innovation Room, a dedicated space where start-ups, researchers, and universities showcase cutting-edge ideas, materials, and processes, providing attendees with a first-hand look at the latest innovations driving the circular economy.
Agenda
9.00 am Registration & Breakfast
9.30 am Welcome
9.45 am Inside the Innovation Room: Meet the Innovators
10.15 am Breakout Room Session 1
Designing Plastic Products for a Circular Future
Description:
A dynamic panel discussion to explore how short and long‑life plastic products can be redesigned for recycling, repair, and reuse. The speakers will also examine practical strategies for tackling hard‑to‑recycle plastics and share cross‑industry insights to accelerate a more circular, sustainable plastics economy.
Recycling Infrastructure for Circular Plastics
Description:
This panel discussion focuses on what is needed to support circularity for all plastics. Industry leaders, policymakers, and recycling specialists will explore how collection systems, infrastructure investment, incentives, and cross‑sector partnerships can unlock real progress. The conversation will examine what conditions are required to close the loop at scale and who must collaborate to make circular design and consumer actions truly effective.
Who Drives Circular Behaviour - Rethinking Responsibility?
Description:
This panel discussion will unpack how responsibility is shared across the value chain and what effective, honest communication looks like in a world striving for more circular, low‑waste systems. It will explore the complex question of who holds responsibility for driving sustainable behaviour and changing the status quo - policymakers, brands, retailers, consumers or someone else. Bringing together experts, this panel will examine who has the power to drive change and what role consumers can realistically play within systems shaped by the supply chain.
11.15 am Break
11.45 am Breakout Room Session 2
The Future of Materials: Sustainable Plastics, Plastic Alternatives, Composites & Beyond
Description:
This panel brings together material innovators, brands, and sustainability experts to explore the evolving landscape of materials innovation.
Speakers will discuss the potential of next‑generation materials, their real‑world performance, end‑of‑life pathways, and the challenges of scaling them responsibly within a circular system.
Stopping Plastic Pollution: Tackling Litter, Leakage & Waste Crime
Description:
This panel explores the drivers behind plastics entering the environment, from everyday littering to largescale waste crime and systemic gaps in waste management. Bringing together voices from enforcement, industry, policy, and environmental organisations, the discussion will examine who should be responsible for addressing each part of the problem and what coordinated actions are needed to prevent plastic leakage at its source.
The Policy Landscape
Description:
This panel will unpack the current and emerging policies shaping the transition to a circular plastics economy. Bringing together policy and industry experts, this session will explore how regulation is evolving, what upcoming strategies mean for businesses and supply chains, and where policy can most effectively drive systemic change. Panellists will examine where policy is working, where gaps remain, and how regulation can better enable circular systems.
12.45 pm Lunch
2.15 pm Afternoon Session
Solutions for a Circular Economy
Description:
A focused discussion on practical pathways to circularity, exploring product redesign, re‑use opportunities, improved recovery and recycling, and stronger circular business models. The panel will highlight cross‑sector best practices and show how regulatory shifts, innovation, and shared learning can accelerate system‑wide progress.
3.45 pm Closing Thoughts
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Holiday Inn Peterborough - West, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00 to GBP 330.00
