Contributions of biotechnology to a sustainable plastic industry – Public Climate School

Over 365 million tons of plastics were produced worldwide in 2019, with significant growth expected in the near future, resulting in the global challenge of end-of-life management. Landfill is still the major end-of-life treatment, with the danger of environmental pollution, while true recycling is difficult for most plastic fractions. The reasons are manifold, including mixed plastic, additives, and polymer deterioration during the recycling. Also the low price of virgin plastic makes the use of recycled raisin less attractive. Hence, new ideas that give room for new incentives are required for the recycling of plastics. The recent identification of enzymes that degrade plastics previously considered to be non-biodegradable opens up opportunities to steer the plastic recycling industry into the realm of biotechnology. Looking forward to a lively discussion around the new possibilities biotechnology might can deliver.