Polymers and plastics sustainability

As the global demand for polymers and plastics intensifies, an unsettling statistic from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reveals that only 9% of these materials were recycled worldwide in 2019. This results in an alarming accumulation of approximately 400 Mt of polymers and plastics as waste in the environment — with predictions suggesting a leap to over 1.1 Gt by 2060 [1]. Tackling this urgent environmental issue requires innovation for advancing circularity across the entire polymers and plastics life cycle — from design and production to utilization and reuse. This collection presents cutting-edge research on cradle-to-cradle strategies set to transform polymer and plastic waste into valuable resources. Moreover, the collection highlights the promising role of biopolymers and bio-based materials within the circular economy, setting them forth as sustainable alternatives to traditional petroleum-derived polymers.

Highlighted research in this collection includes, but is not restricted to:

• Chemical and Biological Recycling and Upcycling: Advances in chemo and biocatalysis, spotlighting the promise of achieving circularity in polymer constituents from plastics and composites.
• Lifecycle Innovations: Comprehensive models and emphasising techno-economic analysis that reimagine the lifecycle of legacy and emerging bio-based polymers.
• Advanced Plastic Waste Management: Breakthroughs in polymer classification, mechanical extraction, and pyrolytic transformations, focusing on end-of-life stages.
• Next-Gen Biopolymers and Bio-Based Polymers: Insights into extraction, synthesis and manufacture, structure-function interplays, and ecological implications of up-and-coming bio-sourced polymers as alternatives to legacy petroleum-based polymers.

[1] https://www.oecd.org/environment/global-plastic-waste-set-to-almost-triple-by-2060.htm#

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 12.