This annual lecture features a discussion of some of the greatest challenges facing the environment, and research that is contributing to addressing these challenges. Dr. Amar Mohanty, FRSC, the 2021 recipient of the RSC’s Miroslaw Romanowski Medal for scientific work relating to environmental problems, will deliver this year’s lecture on Circular Economy Driven Sustainable Plastics and Composites: Future is now in Mitigating Climate Change.

Circular Economy Driven Sustainable Plastics and Composites: Future is now in Mitigating Climate Change - Abstract

Amar K Mohanty

Bioproducts Discovery and Development Centre
Department of Plant Agriculture & School of Engineering
University of Guelph, ON, Canada

Building a more resilient, circular, and low-carbon economy is at the core of the world’s recovery plan for rejuvenating growth, post the COVID-19 pandemic. Plastics and composites are inevitable in our modern day-to-day life and their use spans from packaging, auto-parts, electronics, housing structures to sports utility and many more. By 2025, annual production of plastic globally is predicted to reach one billion tons from the present level of 450 million tons. In 1950, the “Age of Plastics” began to replace natural materials and thereafter their production and use skyrocketed. However, the enormous amount of plastic waste has created alarming concerns resulting from growing pollution levels and green house gas emissions. Especially due to 9 billion tons of waste plastic accumulation, which accounts to one ton of plastic waste created by each individual. More than 10 metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the world’s ocean[BB1] s. Plastic waste creates micro-plastics (less then 5 mm in size) which pose serious threats to human health as we consume them due to their presence in fruits and fish. In fact, it has now been reported that their presence is in human blood. The single-use-plastic ban is a daily news headline, however a “Second Age of Plastic” is imminent to reduce and eliminate plastic waste concerns through reduced carbon economy, referred to as “Sustainable Polymers”. A new plastic economy by the Ellen McArthur Foundation targets 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025. Sustainable materials include polymers and composites from wastes, recycled materials, bio-renewables and their combinations. Two types of materials; (i) biobased, biodegradable, and (ii) biobased non-biodegradable, recyclable polymeric materials can help in creating the circular economy of plastics. This lecture will highlight the sustainable composites used in eco-friendly and composting packaging as well as green and lightweight auto-parts and how they impact the resolution of environmental problems.