The usefulness of plastic in every aspect of our lives is sadly matched by the ubiquity of discarded plastic; over 350 million tonnes are produced annually but only a fraction of these plastics are recycled and many are pervasive materials not designed for degradation. Plastic pollution, visible around the world on land and in our oceans, is a direct result of the extraordinary durability of current plastics.
Plastics, however, are also vital to meeting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. They are used in lightweight transport for greater fuel efficiency, water purification membranes, high-performance electronics, food waste reduction, efficient insulation, and in essential medical devices like IV bags, syringes and catheters. Restructuring the lifecycle of plastics to become more ‘circular’, i.e. eliminating waste by designing for disassembly and re-use, has the potential to solve many of these problems while maintaining plastic’s valuable contribution towards meeting the SDGs. Solving the problems with the current manufacture, use and disposal of plastics requires thinking across deeply ingrained disciplinary boundaries as well as strong engagement with the manufacturing and end-use industries.
This programme brought together experts to work creatively on the technical, economic and legal issues around a future plastics economy that supports, rather than undermines, the SDGs. Our core objective is moving to a new plastics economy, where future plastics are fully recyclable but ultimately degradable. Developing interventions to change technology, law, social policy, human behaviour and economics, as well as the prototyping of patented materials and products, will be essential to achieving this. We envision a future that limits environmental damage and pollution without losing the many benefits that plastics provide.
SCHEMA's Director Prof Charlotte Williams headed up the interdisciplinary Future of Plastics programme at the Oxford Martin School. In a recent video celebrating the Martin School's 20 years of impactful research, she discusses the link between plastic production and global greenhouse gas emissions and shares how her team’s cross-disciplinary research is shaping international efforts and policy solutions to cut both plastic waste and carbon emissions.
Prof Williams comments on the experience: "Since working on the programme, I have joined a government task force and we have been working with the UN who are negotiating the international plastics treaty countries worldwide".
Visit the Oxford Martin School's 20th anniversary page here.
Watch the Future of Plastics programme video here.
Text partially republished from the Oxford Martin School
