Our Research
The focus of our plastics research
Our unique team brings together chemists, environmental scientists, philosophers, linguists, economists, artists, writers, lawyers, and experts in many other fields, to address the global plastics waste problem in its entirety. We engage with the plastics waste problem comprehensively, utilising interdisciplinary methods of research to ensure and enable widespread impact. Our research covers topics including, but not limited to:
- Development of sustainable polymers
- Policy for sustainable plastics and associated terminology
- Sustainable methods for the recycling and re-use of plastics
- Environmental impacts of end-of-life solutions
- Development of new degradable Biomaterials
- Consumer responsibility; public perceptions and expectations
- And more
We know that pathways and solutions need to be collective and systematic in approach, bringing together organisations with different priorities and purpose around the shared common purpose of creating and maintaining systems of sustainable plastic production, consumption and re-use. Therefore, we welcome collaboration with industry, academia, policymakers, charity, and others to create meaningful change for society on this important issue.
The plastics lifecycle
Source
The materials for most plastic today are supplied as a by-product of producing refined fuels from crude oil and natural gas. As the world transitions away from using fossil fuels for energy, where will the raw materials for plastic come from in the future? In principle, any plastic currently made from oil or gas could also be made from plant material. So, should we be replacing fossil-based feedstocks with those that are based on biomass? What are the alternatives?
Use
With all the publicity around plastic pollution, it is easy to forget how many benefits plastic has produced. Plastic has long protected lives in medicine, and in infrastructure: plastic pipes eliminate the risk of contaminated drinking water posed by lead ones. More generally, plastic has made products lighter, often more durable, and cheaper than they would otherwise be. How can one replace such a versatile substance? We need to think about where plastic is strictly necessary and where it is not. We need to find a way to distinguish between the products for which plastic is vital and those that use it simply because it is cheap.
Reuse
The plastics lifecycle could be long or short, depending on how reusable (and recyclable) the plastic in question is, but this is not often clear to the public. In the UK, there is broad public enthusiasm for more efficient forms of recycling which are easier to understand or undertake. Shockingly, of the almost 8 billion tonnes of plastic waste discarded to date, only 9% has been recycled. Even today, only 20% of plastics worldwide is recycled compared to 80% for steel. But even if all plastic was recycled, there are significant drawbacks with existing technologies that must be addressed.
End of life
Landfill causes 11% of global methane emissions, and Energy from Waste (EfW) emits large amounts of CO2 , particularly where, as in Britain, EfW waste heat is not generally exploited. In any case, neither approach is circular or sustainable. And none of this solves the carbon emissions of producing plastic. Perhaps there is no single solution. Since plastic performs many different functions and has widely differing properties, it makes sense that end of life pathways should differ too, but we’re a long way from the answer.
A joined-up approach
No one organisation or country can do this on their own. Any pathways or solutions need to be collective and systematic in approach, bringing together organisations with different priorities and purpose around the shared common purpose of creating and maintaining systems of sustainable plastic production, consumption and re-use.
Recent Events
Sustainable Plastics Exhibition 2024
Sustainable Plastics Exhibition 2024.