New Plastics Economy
Rethinking the way we design, use and recover plastics
Plastics are part of our everyday lives. From food wrap to children's toys to car parts, plastic is a cheap and useful material used by nearly everyone, everywhere. But while plastic has many benefits, it also has drawbacks. The production of plastics uses up increasing amounts of resources. Most plastic packaging is used only once before becoming waste, sometimes ending up on our streets or in oceans.
The ambition of the New Plastics Economy initiative is to re-think the way we design, use and recover plastics, through collaboration and innovation, to move towards a plastics system that works in the long term.
Focusing on positive solutions, the project will involve communities in re-imagining a plastics system that works. Working with Plymouth Marine Laboratory, the project will build a scientific evidence base from which to draw insights. It will also engage the innovative power of the scientific community in a coordinated programme of research and competitions.
