It is a privilege to present a wonderful selection of impactful research and valuable insights from across the School's researchers, many of whom I have come to know during my time at Lancaster. As a School, we pride ourselves on making a difference – to the lives of our students, to businesses across the North West of England and beyond, and to society as a whole. Our Plastic Packaging in People’s Lives (PPiPL) project is a prime example of this work, and is the focus of much of this issue’s content. The project works with businesses and groups at all stages of the plastic food packaging cycle, from production to retail to waste management, aiming to improve their understanding of consumer attitudes to packaging, and reduce the gap between attitudes and behaviour when it comes to waste and recycling. The impacts of the work will be felt in industry and by consumers. Project leaders Maria Piacentini and Alison Stowell show us the importance of collaboration between researchers and industry in their article. PPiPL colleagues Alex Skandalis, James Cronin and Charlotte Hadley explain how it can be easy to forget the importance of plastic in our lives – until something goes wrong – and Savita Verma and Linda Hendry examine who is responsible for reducing the amount of plastic waste we produce. Demonstrating the multi-disciplinary nature of the project, John Hardy, from Lancaster University’s Chemistry Department – along with our own Matteo Saltalippi – looks at the difficulties of even defining what a plastic is, and how that must be resolved to aid consumers in their choices. We also welcome Katie Shepherd and Ian Schofield from Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses. The two packaging technologists are part of PPiPL, and they provide an insight into the practicalities of switching to more sustainable packaging in a thriving local company. Of course, we carry our research into issues of sustainability beyond the boundaries of PPiPL. The Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business is at the forefront of much of that work, and Director Jan Bebbington describes where they are focusing their attention this year. The Work Foundation’s Trinley Walker turns the spotlight to Lancashire and the future for net-zero jobs, PhD student Colin Hill provides a fascinating insight into attempts to find a sustainable replacement for disposable coffee cups, and Emre Tarim looks at how efforts to encourage green investments and business practices are hindered by being embedded in the financial system. Beyond environmental sustainability, Katy Mason and Sharon Wagg show how the Mobile Access North Yorkshire project works with communities to ensure the best results for them from 5G expansion, Beth Suttill explores beyond the stereotypes of NEETs, and Saurabh Singhal considers the effects of India's caste system on education and employment opportunities. I hope you enjoy reading about the work we are producing as we continue to play our role as a responsible management school. Professor Claire Leitch is the Interim Executive Dean of Lancaster University Management School. c.leitch@lancaster.ac.uk Foreword Welcome to the latest edition of Fifty Four Degrees. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 5 SUBSCRIBE Subscribe online at lancaster.ac.uk/fiftyfour
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