Digital Material Flow Mapping and Packaging Reduction
The Innovate UK Innovation Exchange (iX) programme is supporting Sinclair Group to find innovators who can map and analyse material flows entering and moving through the business, enabling packaging reduction, reusable alternatives, and enhanced circular economy performance.
Opportunity
Challenge opens
24/02/2026
Challenge closes
07/04/2026
Benefit
This challenge is part of the Southwest Wales Net Zero Industry Launchpad iX (Innovation Exchange) pilot, enabling selected innovators to access Innovate UK grant funding of up to £25,000 to deliver a 3 month pilot project through the iX programme.
Background
The Net Zero Industry Launchpad is using the Innovate UK Business Connect Innovation Exchange (iX) platform to offer an exciting new pilot competition using the iX platform to support challenges that benefit or impact on Southwest Wales.
The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects that will impact on Southwest Wales. The pilot - South West Wales Launchpad Net Zero iX Challenges, aims to foster collaborative partnerships between a challenge holder & solution provider to deliver a project that that will accelerate the adoption of industrial circular economy, net zero or decarbonisation innovations within and across sectors for the Net Zero Industry launchpad in Southwest Wales.
Sinclair Group is one of Wales’ leading automotive retail groups, representing major brands including Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Hyundai and more, with a network of busy dealerships and workshops across South Wales and beyond. Over the last several years, the Group has undergone a significant sustainability transformation, embedding environmental responsibility into its culture, operations, and long‑term strategy.
As part of its wider transition to a more sustainable and circular operating model, Sinclair Group has already introduced new processes to cut general waste, improve recycling quality, and reduce carbon emissions, particularly across high‑volume workshop waste streams.
However, despite this momentum, the Group faces persistent challenges that cannot be solved through operational changes alone. Site‑to‑site variability, complex material flows, inconsistent packaging formats from suppliers, and limited visibility of what materials enter and exit the business mean Sinclair now needs deeper insight into its packaging and procurement related waste.
To accelerate its transition toward a circular economy and support compliance with Wales’ workplace recycling requirements, Sinclair Group is seeking innovative digital technologies that can map packaging and material flows with far greater accuracy. These solutions will enable the Group to identify avoidable packaging, redesign waste streams, and influence upstream supplier behaviours, shifting from reactive waste management to proactive waste prevention at scale.
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