This research program was initiated during autumn 2016 after being awarded the funding for Mistra´s call of proposals on “Plastics in a Sustainable Society”.
The program, with a strong support from important stakeholders, has a vision of a future society in which plastics are sustainably developed, produced, used and recycled in a circular economy. STEPS is planned in close dialogue with industrial partners, and thus reflects the market needs for sustainable plastic systems both on a short-term and long-term basis.
It is based on the concept of designing eco-friendly plastics having desired material properties and -life cycle by matching appropriate carbon-neutral building blocks and their derivatives.
Major focus in the programme is on polyesters, which represent a plastics group with varying properties for wide range of applications and a sizable global market.
STEPS aims to play a key role in instigating and accelerating this sustainability transition by strengthening the knowledge and research base for technology- and product development and innovation, developing and assessing key niche products with industrial partners, and analysing the sustainability, institutional and policy implications of potential transition pathways.
Who is who?

Christopher Folkeson Welch
Programmes Director at Mistra
STEPS Board

Britt-Marie Bertilsson
Chair of STEPS Board

Hans Hellsmark
STEPS board member
Associate Professor
at Chalmers

Maria Gustafsson
STEPS board member
Project Manager at the Swedish Standards Institute (SIS)

Søren Hvilsted
STEPS board member
Professor Emeritus at DTU
Management group

Rajni Hatti-Kaul
Program Director
Leader WP1
Biotechnology
Lund University

Christian Hulteberg
Leader WP1
Chemical Engineering
Lund University

John P Jensen
Leader WP1
Nordic Sugar

Baozhong Zhang
Leader WP2
CAS
Lund University

Erik Nilsson
Leader WP2
RISE IVF

Carina Stjernman
Leader WP2
Clariant

Fredric Bauer
Leader WP3
IMES
Lund University

Teis Hansen
Leader WP3
Human Geography
Lund University

Ellen Lindblad
Leader WP3
Sysav Utveckling AB

Peter Andersson
Leader WP3
General Plastics Scandinavia (GPS)

Sanel Peric
Financial Officer
Biotechnology
Lund University