DE-FOA-0002473: Single-Use Plastics Recycling (SUPR) | DE FOA 0002473

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0002473

DE-FOA-0002473, titled Single-Use Plastics Recycling (SUPR), is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity focused on one of the hardest parts of the plastics waste stream to manage: plastic films commonly used in single-use packaging. The central idea is that films create “circularity” problems that are different from rigid plastics, and solving those problems can cut energy use and greenhouse gas emissions across the plastics lifecycle. DOE is looking for applied research, development, and demonstration efforts that move beyond lab concepts toward approaches that can realistically drive higher recovery and better end-of-life outcomes for these materials.

The FOA is jointly aligned with two DOE offices with related but complementary missions. The Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) supports technologies that convert biomass and waste resources into fuels, products, and power, which ties directly to the idea of turning waste plastics into higher-value chemicals or materials rather than disposing of them. The Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) focuses on industrial decarbonization, energy productivity, and efficient resource use across U.S. manufacturing, which connects to redesigning materials and processes so less energy is consumed and fewer emissions are produced throughout manufacturing and recycling. Together, BETO and AMO frame this opportunity as part of a broader push to build a circular economy for plastics by (1) creating new plastics designed for circularity and (2) building “deconstruction and upcycling” pathways for the polymers already in widespread use.

SUPR also fits into a longer DOE plastics strategy. It explicitly builds on the FY20 BOTTLE FOA and responds to needs highlighted during the 2019 Plastics for a Circular Economy Workshop, where single-use packaging was identified as a particularly important focus area. In practical terms, this means DOE is signaling that earlier work helped define the problem and some technical directions, but that film-specific barriers still represent a gap worth targeted investment.

The FOA emphasizes that film recycling is difficult for multiple, compounding reasons. Films tend to be problematic to collect and handle in traditional recycling systems, and they create sorting and separation challenges because they are lightweight, flexible, and frequently contaminated by food residue or other materials. Even when films are collected, the economics are often unfavorable: the costs to collect, separate, clean, and process them can exceed the value of the recovered material, which reduces incentives for recyclers and brands to invest. The situation is even more complicated for multilayer films, which are designed for performance (barrier properties, strength, sealability) by combining different polymers and sometimes inorganic components. Those layers are often immiscible and hard to separate, so conventional mechanical recycling tends to yield low-quality outputs or fails entirely.

To address those issues, DOE describes two main technical approaches that applications should pursue. The first is developing recycling and upcycling pathways for existing plastic films that are economically favorable, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and lower the embodied energy of plastics. In other words, DOE is not only looking for “can it be recycled,” but “can it be recycled in a way that makes business sense and improves climate and energy outcomes.” This approach covers methods that improve the viability of collection and sorting, overcome contamination, and create higher-value products from film waste so there is a stronger market pull for retaining and processing it. The second approach is redesigning multilayer films so they are inherently recyclable or biodegradable while still meeting real packaging requirements like flexibility, barrier performance, and strength. This is an acknowledgement that some recycling barriers are “baked into” today’s designs, so upstream design changes may be necessary to make end-of-life options workable at scale.

From an applicant standpoint, this is a DOE cooperative agreement opportunity (rather than a simple grant), which typically implies more substantial federal involvement during execution, such as project milestones, reporting, and coordination with DOE staff. The opportunity category is listed as “Other,” with the funding activity category under Energy, and it is administered by the Department of Energy, Golden Field Office. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any entity type), subject to any clarifications that may appear in the FOA’s additional eligibility language.

Key funding and administrative details provided in the source data include an award ceiling of $2,500,000 per award and an expectation of about 6 awards. The FOA was created May 27, 2021, with an original closing date of August 16, 2021. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 81.086. Applications are submitted through DOE’s EERE eXCHANGE system, which enforces deadlines by automatically disabling the Apply and Submit functions at the stated cutoff time.

The FOA also lays out how DOE handles submission problems in eXCHANGE. If an applicant has technical issues before the deadline, they are directed to contact the eXCHANGE helpdesk at exchangehelp@hq.doe.gov (and the system administrators at eXCHANGE@go.doe.gov are also referenced) to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. If a technical issue causes a late submission, DOE indicates it will only accept late applications when the issue was beyond the applicant’s control, the applicant contacted the helpdesk for assistance, and the application is ultimately submitted through eXCHANGE within 24 hours of the posted deadline, with DOE staff potentially helping finalize the submission with the applicant’s concurrence.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "DE-FOA-0002473: Single-Use Plastics Recycling (SUPR)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.086.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 27, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 16, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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