Impact Solutions researchers are working with biotechnology specialists from the University of Edinburgh, product firm API Foilmakers, and the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) on this investigation.

API Foilmakers, situated in Livingston, will be providing the project's raw materials. Per month, 18km of PET is thrown away because each miniscule printing fault may leave an entire roll left to go to waste.This ultimately results in up to 100 tonnes of plastic waste.

“A recent initiative lead by Scottish scientists seeks to transform the pharmaceutical sector by converting single use plastic into treatments for neurological diseases. “

Whilst some businesses have attempted to degrading PET with enzymes, this results in plastic frequently ending up in waste sites over time.

Dr. Stephen Wallace, UKRI Future Leadership Member and Professor in Biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, underlined the project's potential effect on the pharmaceutical industry: "This has the potential to be a turning point for the pharmaceutical industry. While this study is focused on a specific sort of plastic waste from foil rolls, it is a platform technology that might be used to various forms of waste PET from other sectors in the future.”

He goes on to say, “We've already had some promising discussions with large pharmaceutical companies interested in exploring this new method."

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