A montage of 9 individual photos of people all holding some plastic packaging

Plastic Free July

The PPiPL team took part in the plastic-free July challenge in 2022. Find out more about the challenge and how they got on.

Going 'plastic packaging free'

Ever thought about going Plastic Free and what this means? The single-use plastic crisis is all over the media and being brought to the public consciousness. The abundance of plastic packaging is a major global issue, and the damage to society and the environment cannot be ignored.

As a team of nine interdisciplinary researchers at Lancaster University, we are investigating how plastic food packaging is embedded in people's everyday lives. Our research project examines all aspects of the plastic food packaging chain to devise ways of shifting attitudes towards and behaviours around plastic food packaging.

Inspired by the Plastic Free July global movement, we decided to challenge ourselves and go ‘plastic food packaging free' for a month.

Throughout July 2022, we focused on our food consumption, aiming to avoid all unnecessary single-use plastics (bags, bottles, straws, utensils, containers), and share our experiences, insights, and challenges with you! We were all at different stages in our relationship with plastic packaging, so we expected this to be quite a challenge.

Find out more about our plastic-free initiative and have a look at our weekly blogs sharing our experiences.

You can also share your experiences and any hints or with us on our PPiPL Twitter account and become part of the solution to plastic waste!

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Plastic-free July blogs

Plastic Free July on the move: travelling plastic-free between challenges and good practices

With most countries lifting the travel ban issued because of the Covid-19 pandemic, during this Plastic Free July (PFJ), our team travelled to diverse geographies (Africa, Europe and Asia) for academic commitments and leisure.

Keep Calm and Carry On: Our reflections on participating in Plastic-Free July

This is coming to an end. What a relief. It’s not been easy. At times it’s reminded us of parental stories about World War 2 austerity - few luxuries or treats and a considerably restricted diet compared to our norm. Probably not as healthy as the WW2 UK diet has been claimed to be though - it’s been surprisingly difficult to put together a varied and healthy diet this month.

Going Bananas

Going plastic packaging free for the whole of July is enough to ‘send us all bananas’. We’re referring here to the idiom of ‘going crazy’, given the many frustrations, (though the alternative meaning of ‘going wild with excitement’ also applies each time we find a solution to the issues we have faced). These emotions apply to a variety of food and drink items, including: tea bags, digestive biscuits, rice and fruit cordial; as well as fresh fruit and veg.

Meat consumption and plastic packaging

Despite accelerating interest in vegan alternatives, global meat production and consumption continues to rise. That steady increase in meat consumption has been at the forefront of academic and policy debates due to its significant environmental impact. For those reasons, meat fell under scope for consideration by the PPiPL team this week in Plastic-Free July.

Milking it for all its worth: sourcing plastic packaging free alternatives

Plastic Free July has provided the impetus, focus and desire to make changes, and we are developing an enriched awareness of what it means to go “plastic free”. But, as our experience of the challenges associated with moving to plastic packaging free milk show, we can see a whole range of complexities attached to everyday consumption practices.