ENVIRONMENT
15
YEARS
Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years .
406 MILLION TONNES
Production increased exponentially , from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 406 million tonnes by 2015 . Production is expected to double by 2050 .
400
YEARS
Plastics often contain additives making them stronger , more flexible and durable . But many of these additives can extend the life of products if they become litter , with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down .
7 MILLION TONNES
Every year , about 7 million tonnes of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations . That ’ s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world . SOURCE : NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
The world is edging closer to improving its use and management of plastics . Advances in biodegradability , reusable and refillable plastic products and recycling technologies are opening the way to being able to rethink the use of plastics where alternative materials are available . And , crucially , the push for change is now being backed by the majority of world governments .
Many of the scientists at the forefront of this endeavour belong to a cohort of research disciplines that have put the University of Portsmouth in the lead of much of the progress being made .
The characterisation and modification in 2018 of enzymes that can digest polyethylene terephthalate ( PET ) plastic continues to advance through the work of the Centre for Enzyme Innovation , while the University ’ s Global Plastics Policy Centre has been set up to support improved and more accountable plastics policymaking .
The overarching objective of our research is to retain plastics as a valuable and versatile material but develop the necessary science and governance to eliminate them as ubiquitous pollutants . Plastic waste , which can linger for centuries , is almost universally recognised as having reached a crisis level , especially for marine ecosystems .
Despite this , a concerted global response has seemed ‘ mission impossible ’. As Director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre , Professor Steve Fletcher explains : “ Aside from the material ’ s durability , the plastics economy is global and very complex , which makes global solutions extremely difficult .”
UN fires the starting gun
But hopes are high that this may soon change . Professor Fletcher is a member of the UN International Resource Panel and a member a team advising the UN Environment Programme ( UNEP ) on plastics policy . The UN Environment Assembly , in
34 REVOLUTION PLASTICS / 2023