Plastic waste in the environment is becoming an increasing burden on the world's ecosystems. The amount of plastic packaging used when buying food, clothing or cosmetics seems to be growing inexorably and has doubled in two decades. Customers often do not even have the choice to buy products unpacked.

The research project Innoredux intends to change this and will highlight and evaluate innovative business models in retail that can reduce plastic waste along the value chain. Since February 2019, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the researchers for three years within the research focus "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions".

The Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (ifeu) are working together with retailers to develop innovative packaging solutions for online and bricks-and-mortar commerce in a real world laboratory in the city of Heidelberg.