Lincean Academy Plastics and Circular Economy Conference: Key messages from Day 1

Earlier this week, Miriam Weber, one of our founding members, presented at the Accademia Nazionale Dei Lincei’s (Lincean Academy) Plastics and Cicular Economy conference. The event was organised to honour Giuseppe Allegra and Paolo Corradini, chemists who made an outstanding contribution to Polymer Science.

Representing SAPEA (Science Advice for Policy by European Academies), Miriam presented a summary of their recent evidence review report on Biodegradability of Plastics in the Open Environment. The conference also featured speakers from universities and Industry bodies across Europe. Presentations looked at the progress made in polymer science whilst also drawing attention to the environmental issues associated with plastic waste and mismanagement of plastic disposal.

We’ve summarised our top five take-aways from Day 1 of the conference.

The case of our 99% missing plastic - Giuseppe Suaria, 2021 Research on Plastic Marine Litter: Occurrence and Distribution in the Marine Environment

1. We still don’t know where marine plastic ends up

   Statistics about marine plastic are commonly quoted, e.g. in the recent controversial documentary Seaspiracy. However there’s still a lot we don’t know about where all the plastic is ending up. We don’t yet know how much of this plastic is sinking to the ocean floor, fragmenting, washing up onto our shores, or being consumed by other animals

2. More than 60% of large marine mammal species (Cetaceans) have consumed or been entangled in plastic

   There are few species that are free from the effects of plastic now. From the largest marine mammals to the smallest, plastic has made its way into some of the most remote corners of the ocean.

3. Microplastics can pass from one organism to another via “trophic transfer”

   This could mean that by eating fish that has ingested plastic and harmful toxic substances released when plastic degrades, you might be a toxicity risk to whoever or whatever is consuming the fish. At the moment, these exposure levels are still being studied and debated.

4. Biodegradable plastic degrades at different rates depending on the environment

   Temperature, oxygen and nutrient levels vary depending on the environment. A combination of all these factors means that degradation rates will vary considerably on where they end up. You can measure biodegradability rates by measuring the end products produced in the biodegradation process.

5. Biodegradable plastic is not the answer to the plastic pollution crisis

   Very often, plastic that is considered "biodegradable" only degrades in very specific conditions. Misleading labelling is confusing to the public and can lead to contamination of waste management systems and increased littering or pollution. Instead of relying on "biodegradable" plastics, the best way to address the plastic pollution problem is to reduce plastic use altogether or to reuse and recycle.

Biodegradability of plastic - SAPEA, 2021, Biodegradability of Plastics in the Open Environment

Supporting research and innovation is one of our four key pillars and attending conferences such as this allows us to learn from others in the scientific community whilst sharing our own knowledge.