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We will publicly publish the report Science to enable sustainable plastics on Wednesday 3 June. On that day please feel free to use the promotional items below to share the report with your organisation, your colleagues, the press, and members of the chemistry community.
Please note that this report is under embargo until 00:01 UTC Wednesday 3 June 2020. You should not share anything on your websites, or by email or social media until then, and anything you share with the press should be marked clearly with the embargo date and time.
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Announcing: A new report on sustainable plastics
The worst environmental impacts of plastics are a common sight in the news or on social media – but they also fulfil vital roles in society, and in some cases can even be a more sustainable option compared to alternatives.
But more research is urgently needed in order to make them fit for the future.
In November 2019, representatives from [name of organisation] came together with researchers, learned societies, and funders from China, Germany, Japan and the UK at the Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3).
Over the course of a three day summit, they developed a plan for how to create a circular economy for plastics, preserving the crucial function they serve in society while introducing much better recyclability and reusability into their design.
Today we’re announcing publication of a new report, which outlines four major research challenges – areas in urgent need of development.
Find out more by reading the report now.
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Please do not share this messaging until Wednesday 3 June.
Announcing: A new report on sustainable plastics
Dear [name]
More sustainable plastics are within our grasp – but more research is needed
The worst environmental impacts of plastics are a common sight in the news or on social media – but they also fulfil vital roles in society, and in some cases can even be a more sustainable option compared to alternatives.
But more research is urgently needed in order to make them fit for the future.
In November, representatives from [name of organisation] came together with researchers, learned societies, and funders from China, Germany, Japan and the UK at the Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3) held at the Royal Society of Chemistry in November 2019.
Over the course of the three day summit, they developed a plan for how to create a circular economy for plastics, preserving the crucial function they serve in society while introducing much better recyclability and reusability into their design.
Today we’re announcing publication of a new report – the output of that meeting.
Four major research challenges for the future of plastics
The new report summarises discussions on sustainable plastics that took place at the CS3 in November.
The report identifies a series of recommendations for areas of research in need of development. These can be summarised as four major research challenges:
- Understand the impacts of plastics throughout their life cycles.
- Develop new sustainable plastics.
- Closed loop plastics recycling.
- Understand and control plastic degradation.
You can read the full details in our report.
Please help us share the findings of this report using our digital pack.
If you have any questions, or would like to share your thoughts on this report, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Best wishes
[Name]
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We have offered this story to a Forbes journalist as an EXCLUSIVE. Therefore please do not share this release until on or very close to the embargo date and time of 00:01 UTC 3 June 2020.
Plastic surgery: Chemistry experts unite to make plastics fit for the future
UNDER EMBARGO UNTIL 00:01 UTC WEDNESDAY 3 JUNE
Greener plastics are within our grasp – and they are essential for a sustainable future, says international group of researchers and funders.
New research is urgently needed to improve our understanding of plastics and their impacts, to secure a sustainable future for a material that fulfils vital roles in society – according to an international union of chemical societies and funding agencies.
[Name of society/organisation] joined learned societies and funders from China, Germany, Japan and the UK to develop a masterplan for creating a circular economy for plastics, by preserving the crucial function they serve in society while introducing much better recyclability and reusability into their design. The meeting was the latest edition of the Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3), which takes place every two years.
Plastics’ worst environmental impacts are a common sight in the news or on social media, but they also play crucial roles in producing renewable energy and reducing the environmental impact of transport, as well as preserving fresh food and protecting it from contamination.
Plastics have also played a lifesaving role during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic – as personal protective equipment such as masks, gowns and gloves all contain plastic.
A report on the findings, published today, says that with plastics likely to play a crucial role in healthcare and in low-carbon technologies in the future, it’s vital that new types of plastic are designed that can fulfil those roles without adverse impact on the environment. The report was published by the [name of society/organisation] in partnership with an international group of learned societies and funding bodies.
Professor Charlotte Williams, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford, who chaired the meeting, said:
“We use plastics because they can do things other materials cannot. We have an opportunity and an obligation to think about how we can re-design plastics to make them fully sustainable and fit for purpose, both for existing applications and for those we will need tomorrow. In the process, we must aim to reduce and even reverse some of the damage plastic pollution has already caused.
“The solution cannot be to ‘ban’ plastics or to replace them with alternative materials like paper, glass or metals. These alternatives also involve significant environmental impacts and in some cases are less sustainable than using plastics.
“Building a new future for plastics will require extensive collaboration across disciplines – including science, engineering, social sciences, policy, regulation and business.”
Future sustainable technologies may depend on plastics
Plastics are frequently demonized – often for the waste and pollution they cause – but they have benefits too.
In the future many technologies central to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels will depend on plastics. Wind turbine blades require plastic composites and adhesives, while batteries rely on plastics in their housing and may even apply them as electrolytes and other components. Plastics are also widely used in home insulation, reducing energy usage, and they play critical roles in the construction sector as pipes and conduits, cladding, seals, adhesives and gaskets.
Other future technologies such as robotics, drones, electronics, healthcare and diagnostics will also rely on the development of better plastic materials.
Plastic’s image problem exists in the production stage too, since most plastics are made from petrochemicals, the extraction of which causes pollution and the degradation of land. But in future they could be produced from more sustainable sources – such as from waste plastics or biologically sourced raw materials.
Chemistry has a central role to play
Technical solutions are urgently needed to ensure that in future plastics can retain their useful properties, whilst having a reduced environmental impact throughout their lifespan. Chemistry will play a central role in delivering these solutions.
Developments in chemistry will be key to understanding and mitigating the impact of plastics in the environment. Chemistry can help to develop efficient ways to recycle the plastics we use today and, in the longer-term, create replacements that are made from sustainable starting materials, are more amenable to recycling at end of life, and degrade more quickly to harmless by-products if they escape into the environment.
[Please feel free to replace the below quote with one from your own organisation]
Dr Helen Pain, Acting CEO of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Plastics have indisputable benefits, but at the moment many of these benefits are overshadowed by the damage irresponsible disposal or production can cause.
“But we can make plastics more environmentally friendly. We have the knowledge and expertise to develop better, more sustainable materials and this international collaboration will play a world-leading role in bringing these forward. To put it simply, better plastics means a better world, and this is a significant step in the right direction.”
Four major research challenges
The new report – which is the output of a global summit held at the Royal Society of Chemistry in November 2019 – identifies four major research challenges. These four challenges are interlinked and are of equal importance.
- Understand the impacts of plastics throughout their life cycles. We need a suite of technologies and assessment tools to improve sustainability throughout plastics life cycles – from obtaining raw materials and manufacturing plastics, to better recycling and disposal options and fully understanding all the environmental impacts. Analytical methods and predictive models will be key to understanding the structure, properties and behaviour of micro and nanoplastics currently in the environment.
- Develop new sustainable plastics. New plastics must be designed with circular economy in mind from the design stage. This involves designing polymer structures with specific properties that allow plastics to be manufactured, processed and recycled with minimal negative environmental impacts.
- Closed loop plastics recycling. More efficient recycling processes are needed across the board – including in separating mixtures and composites into single pure polymers, and in enabling ‘chemical recycling’ – that is breaking polymers down into smaller molecules for future use.
- Understand and control plastic degradation. The indiscriminate disposal of plastics into the environment must be stopped. Some degradable plastics will be needed and the focus should be on developing products that are both recyclable and environmentally degradable so they can be degraded to non-toxic biochemicals after multiple reuse or recycles. It is also important that labelling standards are improved to ensure clarity and standardization of terms such as compostable, biodegradable and degradable polymers.
To read the report, visit https://www.rsc.org/new-perspectives/sustainability/progressive-plastics/
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
About [name of organisation]
[Insert organisation boilerplate]
About the Chemical Sciences and Society Summit (CS3)
The CS3 brings together leading researchers to discuss how the chemical sciences can help to tackle some of the most daunting challenges that our world faces. Previous summits have tackled topics as diverse as water resources, human health, and sustainability.
This White Paper, Science to Enable Sustainable Plastics, summarizes the presentations, discussions and outcomes of the 8th CS3 meeting, held in London, UK, on 10–13 November 2019. More than 30 scientists from four participating countries gathered to discuss four major themes in sustainable plastics: their impact on the environment; new sustainable plastics; the recyclability of plastics; and the degradation of plastics.
Their goals were to assess the current status of sustainable plastics, identify the most pressing research challenges in this area, and make recommendations about how the field should progress.
The CS3 initiative is a collaboration between major international chemical societies. For this report, the collaboration involved the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS), the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ), and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The symposia are supported by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). CS3 summits are held every two years, and rotate among participating nations.
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A new report from chemical societies and funders of China, Germany, Japan and the UK says that improved analytics and greater understanding of the impacts of plastics is urgently needed to enable a future of #ProgressivePlastics. Read the report: https://rsc.li/progressiveplastics
Download imageA new report from chemical societies and funders of China, Germany, Japan and the UK says that new sustainable plastics must urgently be developed with circular economy in mind, to enable a future of #ProgressivePlastics. Read the report: https://rsc.li/progressiveplastics
Download imageA new report from chemical societies and funders of China, Germany, Japan and the UK says that more efficient separation and recycling processes will be key to enabling a future of #ProgressivePlastics. Read the report: https://rsc.li/progressiveplastics
Download imageA new report from chemical societies and funders of China, Germany, Japan and the UK says that plastics degradation should be a last resort, and that labelling standards must be improved. #ProgressivePlastics. Read the report: https://rsc.li/progressiveplastics
Download imagePlastics play a crucial role in our daily lives – say an international group of research scientists and funders – but more research is urgently needed to make them sustainable. #ProgressivePlastics. Read the report: https://rsc.li/progressiveplastics
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