Innovating the plastic packaging industry

The plastic fantastic challenge invites young entrepreneurs, industry and environmental experts to co-create game changing business concepts.

The Plastic Fantastic Challenge was a European innovation challenge to reduce plastic packaging waste. The best entries were invited to a Bootcamp Programme at a central location in Europe in March 2016, where they received training and coaching to prepare a competitive business plan and get exposure to potential investors.

Love Plastic Not Waste! Plastic is definitely one of the most fantastic breakthroughs in history. Its low-cost design, flexibility, indefinite lifespan, unbreakable structure and low weight helped us design many products that increased our standard of living enormously. However, the environmental problems caused by plastic waste are disastrous!

The Challenge

Most plastic waste originates from packaging (63%), which is primarily designed for single-use and is discarded straight after. Many industry players and governments show willingness to change, but find themselves with their backs against the wall. Strict requirements from buyers, high consumer expectations and pressure on cost efficiency make it hard for the industry to innovate.

We need systemic change across the plastic value chain to prevent further negative environmental impact. This problem is too large to solve in isolation. Companies, entrepreneurs, academia, knowledge institutes and governments have to take action together to solve the plastic packaging waste issue.

The Process

Idea generation:

Participants submit ideas on how they think we can reduce the amount of plastic packaging waste through innovative business solutions.

Clustering & matchmaking:

We  cluster ideas and match make teams so that participants can bring their ideas to the next level in the co-creation phase.

Co-creation:

Once the teams are set up they co-create solutions with experts and a specialised business coach.

Pre-selection:

The 10 most promising teams are selected for the business development phase. The assessment is made by a jury of technology, business and innovation experts.

Business development:

The 10 teams are invited to the Plastic Fantastic Bootcamp. The main goal of the programme is to deliver a final business plan and pitch.

Prizes

During the pre-selection phase the jury selected 10 teams to participate in the Plastic Fantastic Bootcamp. This Bootcamp took place over one week and covered all aspects of developing and validating the business concepts.

Prizes also included:

– €10.000

– Six months membership at your local Impact Hub

Find out more about the Plastic Fantastic Challenge here. 

Creating impact by supporting businesses for good

We offer a variety of programmes at a local, national and international level. These programmes are aimed at people who want to start or scale up.

Find out more here.