NSF Engines Development Award: Advancing a sustainable alternative packaging ecosystem in the Great Lakes region (MI, OH)

NSF区域创新引擎开发奖的重点是开发使用废弃材料的替代包装。它旨在建立一个生态系统的基础，通过融合和协调不同的利益相关者群体，全面改造现有的做法，解决包装废物污染问题。从本质上讲，目标是减少垃圾填埋场中的塑料材料数量，并通过开发和/或改进塑料使用的替代市场来增加塑料材料的使用寿命。该项目由密歇根州立大学研究基金会牵头，服务区域大致包括五大湖地区。该项目将有助于改变目前将包装作为废物处理的做法，使其成为有利可图的原料，与农业和工业废物相结合，将为包装供应链提供服务。五大湖地区是一个经济强国，代表了一些最大的纸张和塑料制造商和最终用户。SHAPE Engine通过其由教育机构、政府实体、非营利组织、社区和各种规模的公司组成的成熟、不断增长和多样化的生态系统，将无缝识别和填补当今阻碍可持续包装的所有空白。这一努力旨在使该地区成为脱碳、循环、生物基和再生塑料和纸包装的世界领导者，以实现联合国的可持续发展目标，并最终帮助其他地区和国家效仿其成功部署和制度化的可持续包装。扩大技术转化、商业化和促进多样化社区劳动力发展的合作伙伴关系是该项目的关键组成部分。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This NSF Regional Innovation Engines Development Award is focused on developing alternative packaging using waste materials. It seeks to build the foundations of an ecosystem that will address packaging waste pollution through a total transformation of existing practices via convergence and coordination of diverse stakeholder groups. Essentially, the goals are to reduce the amount of plastic material in landfills and to increase the lifespan of plastic materials by developing and/or refining alternate markets for plastics use. The project is led by Michigan State University Research Foundation, with the Region of Service broadly defined as encompassing the Great Lakes Region.This project will help change the current treatment of packaging as waste into profitable feedstocks that, combined with agricultural and industrial wastes, will supply the packaging supply chain. The Great Lakes Region is an economic powerhouse representing some of the largest paper and plastics manufacturers and end users. The SHAPE Engine, through its established, growing, and diverse ecosystem of educational institutions, government entities, non-profits, communities, and companies of all sizes, will seamlessly identify and fill all the gaps impeding sustainable packaging today. The effort seeks to establish the Region as a world leader in decarbonized, circular, bio-based, and recycled plastic and paper packaging that addresses United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, and ultimately could help other regions and countries mirror its successful deployment and institutionalization of sustainable packaging. Partnerships to expand technology translation, commercialization, and enhanced development of a diverse community workforce are key components that will be addressed in this project.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.