Future Makers: Reframing Plastic for a Sustainable Future

Addressing Industry Challenges Through Creativity and Education

The plastics industry is at a critical crossroads. While plastic is essential for modern life, public perception has become increasingly negative due to concerns about waste and environmental impact. These challenges are compounded by a skills shortage and an aging workforce, with many young people prioritising sustainability in their career choices and seeking roles that align with their values.

At Future Makers, we’re rising to these challenges with a fresh, creative approach. By delivering hands-on educational experiences and showcasing truly circular, local, and scalable solutions, we are helping to rebuild trust in plastic. We focus on offering positive messaging around plastic recycling, illustrating that plastic can be part of a sustainable future when managed responsibly.

Images (Left to right): 1. Nottingham College Bird Box Workshops 2. Nottingham Trent University Internships 3. Creative Futures Day at Nottingham Trent University with East Midlands Education Trust 4. South Wilford Primary School

Who We Are

Based in Nottingham, Future Makers is a 9,000 sq ft creative studio and innovation hub with inhouse thermoforming capability. Our mission is to reshape the narrative around plastic by transforming waste into artistic, functional, and educational products. Through our work, we empower communities and industries to see plastic not as a problem but as a resource - one that can fuel innovation, create jobs, and contribute to sustainability.

We’ve secured over £150K in grant funding from Arts Council England and Innovate UK. This funding has enabled us to create a scalable business model to innovate and sell inspirational, artistic products made from recycled plastics. It also empowers us to provide hands-on educational experiences, teaching the next generation how to work with recycled plastic and keep it within a circular economy. These grants demonstrate confidence in our vision and our ability to effect change within the industry, as well as in the broader community.

Our work extends across various sectors, including business, education, and the arts. We collaborate with industry leaders like Biffa Polymers, CR Clarke & Co, Plastribution, PlastikCity, Sierra 57 Consult, ensuring that our initiatives are grounded in the latest developments in plastic recycling.

CR Clarke & Co are crucial partners, powering our innovation with their educational machinery. Their sheet press, cooling press, and granulator have allowed us to scale our operations and through close consultation, push the boundaries of what’s possible with recycled plastic. 

Images (Left to right): 1. Visit to Biffa Polymers in Redcar, 2. Plastribution meeting

Positive Messaging and Education: Rebuilding Trust in Plastic

At Future Makers, we’re uniquely positioned to bring positive messaging to the plastic narrative. We believe that the key to overcoming the public's skepticism surrounding plastic lies in education and tangible, local solutions. By working closely with schools, we’re able to engage learners across the entire education system - from primary schools to secondary schools, colleges, and universities - showing them firsthand how plastic can be recycled and given a new life in creative and useful products.

We go beyond simply telling the story of recycling - we make it an active, participatory process. Through our Plastic Revolution Schools Sponsorship Challenge, we provide learners with the opportunity to collect plastic waste from their homes and schools, process it, and then use it to create a functional, artistic product. A recent case study of our project with South Wilford School saw over 400 pupils, 20 teachers, and 700 parents take part in collecting plastic waste, which we transformed into a planter for the school’s wildlife habitat.

Images: Pupils at South Wilford Primary School planting into their new planter made from their plastic waste collection.

The impact of this project was far-reaching, not just in the hands-on experience but in how it shaped pupils' understanding of plastic. Natalie Aldridge, Headteacher of South Wilford Primary School noted that the project raised awareness and instilled a sense of pride in pupils, showing them that they could actively contribute to solving environmental challenges.

“This project has given our pupils hands-on experience of recycling and creativity. It’s been inspiring to see how waste can become something so beautiful and useful.”
Mrs. Aldridge, Head Teacher, South Wilford Primary School

“I thought plastic was something you could just throw in the bin, kind of useless. I learned that you can make anything out of it. You can shred it and make artwork, furniture and useful things”.
Year 4 pupil.

“I thought plastic is just a daily thing that you use. I didn’t think much about it. I learned about the different types of plastic and what they are used for. Since we had a bin at school I brought some plastic from home to recycle.”
Year 6 pupil

This hands-on approach rebuilds trust in plastic recycling and engages the next generation in meaningful ways. Primary school pupils, secondary school students, college learners, and university students ways. have all shared their newfound appreciation for recycling and sustainability. This experience makes the issue of plastic waste more personal and tangible, fostering a sense of responsibility and empowerment.

Postgraduate students from Nottingham Trent University, who completed an internship with Future Makers, highlighted the immense value of gaining hands-on experience working with recycled plastic to create artistic and functional products.

George Odeke, MSc Civil Engineering, BEng (Hons) said “I love that it’s been so hands-on, it’s been so helpful for my development. In terms of my own projects I’d look to use recycled plastic. For practical applications - a decorative aesthetic, recycled plastic is useful and sustainable. It brightens a space and makes it look really vibrant”.

Aurean Luemba, BA (Hons) Interior Architecture & Design, said “Plastic is not a bad material, you can do quite a lot with it. It takes time and patience to learn the basics and experience to find out what you can do. You can play with the colour, the shapes, the texture. You can separate colours and create your own palette, this is really important to build out designs from”.

Janis Zube, BA (Hons) Furniture & Product Design, Future Makers Workshop Technician, said “I’m excited to be back at Future Makers. I’m looking forward to creating sustainable designs, shifting negative perceptions of plastic, and pushing the boundaries of what we can do with recycled plastic”.

Educating Across All Levels

We know that the future of the plastic industry depends on the next generation of skilled professionals who are passionate about sustainability. This is why we engage learners at all stages of their educational journey - from primary schools through to universities. At each level, we provide a practical, hands-on experience that bridges the gap between theory and real-world solutions. By showing young people how plastic can be reprocessed and reused, we are inspiring them to consider careers in sustainability and recycling.

Images (Left to right):1. Creative Futures at Nottingham Trent University with East Midlands Education Trust, 2. South Wilford Primary Kick Off Assembly, 3. Nottingham College Bird Box workshops.

Our approach has sparked interest from numerous educational institutions, including Greenwood Academy Trust, East Midlands Education Trust, Transform Trust, Bluecoat Aspley Academy, Nottingham College, Nottingham Trent University and University of Nottingham. Additionally, we’ve received regional interest from businesses such as market leading thermoplastic manufacturer Luxus Ltd, who are eager to contribute to community projects by providing recycled materials for educational initiatives.

The Value for Industry Partners

By partnering with Future Makers, industry leaders have the opportunity to align their brand with a positive, solutions-focused plastic narrative - one that celebrates innovation, community engagement, and sustainability. These collaborations allow partners to visibly support local education while promoting a circular economy. Each school project reaches hundreds of families, educators, and community members, providing valuable marketing exposure rooted in impact.

Additionally, we offer data-driven insights into the environmental benefits of choosing recycled over virgin plastic, including reductions in carbon emissions and measurable volumes of plastic diverted from waste streams. For every school, we can provide specific metrics on plastic collected and reused, demonstrating the real-world impact of your support.

A Call to Action: Partner With Future Makers

The plastics industry has an opportunity to lead the way in sustainability, but it requires bold action and creative solutions. Future Makers is uniquely positioned to support industry leaders in:

• Improving public perception of plastic through engaging, hands-on projects that showcase its value in a circular system
• Attracting the next generation of talent by making plastics education accessible, exciting, and relevant to young people’s sustainability concerns
• Addressing skills shortages by providing practical training and engagement opportunities within schools and communities
• Strengthening industry collaboration by bringing together businesses, educators, and creative professionals to drive innovation

Images (Left to right): Industry Insights Day at Future Makers, Barbican Creative Hub Lincoln, Plastic Live Coventry 2024.

Be Part of the Plastic Revolution

The future of plastic is in our hands. Together, we can reshape its story - transforming waste into opportunity, inspiring the next generation, and proving that plastic, when managed responsibly, is a valuable resource.

Future Makers has laid the groundwork, securing government funding to build a pioneering platform for education, innovation, and circular design. But to take this to the next level, we need bold industry leaders to step forward.

Now is the time to act. Sponsor our mission, provide recycled materials, or collaborate on projects that demonstrate the true potential of plastic. Show your customers, employees, and communities that you’re committed to sustainability, innovation, and a circular economy.

Let’s lead this change - together. Contact us today to explore how you can be part of this movement. Email us at [email protected]. Call us on 0115 838 7184.