Oxford chemists collaborate on roadmap for circular carbon and plastics economy
Researchers from the Department of Chemistry have outlined ambitious targets to help deliver a sustainable and net zero plastic economy.
Plastics are some of the most useful materials we have at our disposal. And yet, their ubiquity in modern life comes with a substantial cost, in terms of the pollution and carbon dioxide emissions associated with their unsustainable production and use.
Recognising this challenge, a collaborative team – which includes researchers in chemistry, law, and environmental economics – argue in a paper published today in Nature for a rethink of technical, economic, and policy paradigms that have until now led to rising carbon emissions and pollution. By analysing the current and future global plastics system, they propose a set of interventions from now until 2050 to allow the transition to net zero emissions and to reduce other negative environmental impacts.
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