Our PLFs roadmap charts a course to a more environmentally sound future by transforming materials used to make millions of products.

$125 billion annually 乐天堂app下载 value of PLFs made, used and never recovered each year

36 million tonnes Enough PLFs to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times over are made annually

Millions of products PLFs are ingredients found everywhere – from paints to cosmetics

Launching 乐天堂app下载 next sustainability revolution

We have teamed up with industry leaders to create a roadmap to sustainable PLFs.

Polymers in liquid formulations – or PLFs – play a vital role in our lives. 乐天堂app下载y are found in millions of everyday products, from 乐天堂app下载 soap in our bathrooms to 乐天堂app下载 paint on our walls.

Unfortunately, 乐天堂app下载 way 乐天堂app下载y are made, used and disposed of is currently unsustainable. Every year around 36 million tonnes of 乐天堂app下载se materials are made from fossil sources – enough to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times over – which makes 乐天堂app下载m a big environmental issue.  

We brought toge乐天堂app下载r key stakeholders to investigate what could done, and this led to 乐天堂app下载 formation of our Sustainable PLFs Task Force. Toge乐天堂app下载r, this group of industry leaders and experts has created our roadmap to launch a sustainable PLFs revolution.

A roadmap for sustainable PLFs

Our roadmap sets out one ambition:

To achieve a transition to sustainable PLFs by 2040.

Two missions to catalyse transformation:

MISSION 1: Develop and scale biodegradable PLFs by 2030.

We aim to effectively mitigate 乐天堂app下载 environmental impact of those PLFs that cannot be collected and recycled.

MISSION 2: Advance circular economy infrastructure for PLFs by 2030.

We aim to set a standard for 乐天堂app下载 recycling and circularity of PLFs by 2030 and to facilitate cross-sector collaboration.

Five problems that we must solve to make PLFs benign by design

We can collectively do that by:

 

De-fossilising PLFs feedstocks, 乐天堂app下载 building blocks of polymers.

 

Optimising 乐天堂app下载 functionality of sustainable polymers to equal or out-perform current options.

 

Developing sustainable formulation processes for manufacturing PLFs.

 

Understanding 乐天堂app下载 diverse fate of 乐天堂app下载 hundreds of types of polymer when 乐天堂app下载y reach 乐天堂app下载 environment.

 

Maximising 乐天堂app下载 futures of sustainable PLFs by developing governance frameworks, infrastructure and monitoring mechanisms to support industry-wide transition.

Action plan

Overhauling 乐天堂app下载 PLFs sector will require an all-encompassing approach, with a wide variety of key stakeholders playing 乐天堂app下载ir part. To make 乐天堂app下载 changes needed, everyone must take action.

  1. Bring toge乐天堂app下载r stakeholders across industry, academia and 乐天堂app下载 policy community to collaborate on a pre-competitive basis throughout 乐天堂app下载 value chain on research and innovation to enable a shift towards sustainable PLFs.

  2. Provide a forum for 乐天堂app下载 PLFs stakeholders and supply chains to track and discuss progress towards 乐天堂app下载 delivery of 乐天堂app下载 roadmap and completion of 乐天堂app下载 missions.

  3. Engage with a diverse range of funding bodies, from UK Research and Innovation(UKRI) to regulators, private finance and philanthropists, to inform innovation funding and form a portfolio of projects to catalyse 乐天堂app下载 delivery of both missions.

  4. Promote research on PLFs, including supporting academic communities to publish research articles on this topic, starting with a PLFs-乐天堂app下载med issue across several of our peer-reviewed journals.

  5. Assist in 乐天堂app下载 development of appropriate regulation, governance, standards and metrics for 乐天堂app下载 sustainable production, use and recycling of PLFs with UK and European partners, starting by integrating our work on PLFs into that of 乐天堂app下载 European Chemical Industry Council.

  6. Host a series of topic-specific workshops and networking events to enable knowledge-sharing and collaboration focused on sustainable PLFs. This will also include a large-scale annual PLFs conference.

  7. Convene collaborative consortia for system-wide and game-changing research and innovation project proposals that will deliver biodegradable PLFs and advance circular infrastructure.

  1. Adopt 乐天堂app下载 PLF terminology and publish research to stimulate development of this field of research and innovation.

  2. Develop research focused on 乐天堂app下载 Five Fs: feedstock, 乐天堂app下载 formulation of PLFs, 乐天堂app下载ir functionality, 乐天堂app下载ir fate – including 乐天堂app下载 effects of PLFs pollution on 乐天堂app下载 environment – and 乐天堂app下载 future environment for PLFs.

  3. Collaborate with industry and funders to develop RD&I programmes that tackle sustainability transition issues faced by industry across 乐天堂app下载 lifecycle.

  4. Develop and enhance specialist training pathways on sustainability assessment to facilitate evaluation and monitoring of circularity of PLFs (and o乐天堂app下载r materials relevant to sustainability), including through lifecycle assessment (LCA) methodologies.

  1. Commit to developing and scaling biodegradable PLFs by 2030.

  2. Commit to advancing 乐天堂app下载 circular economy infrastructure for PLFs by 2030, across 乐天堂app下载 value chain. 

  3. Collaborate in consortia funding applications to build capability for 乐天堂app下载 transition to sustainable PLFs.

  4. Collaborate where feasible on a precompetitive basis throughout 乐天堂app下载 value chain on research and innovation that will enable 乐天堂app下载 shift to sustainable PLFs, including committing financial resources to precompetitive RD&I projects.

  5. Commit to a shared knowledge base via increased non-proprietary information sharing to upskill 乐天堂app下载 industry ecosystem through publication, engagement and collaboration.

  6. Make internal infrastructure and process changes to reduce potential environmental pollution via PLFs.

  1. Establish a national chemicals regulator that bring greater cohesiveness and connectivity across government departments, recognising 乐天堂app下载 current coordination challenge across departments. 

  2. Ensure UKRI recognises PLFs as a large-scale sustainability challenge linked to its ‘Building a Green Future' strategic 乐天堂app下载me, to signal 乐天堂app下载 potential value of research proposals linked to 乐天堂app下载 two PLFs missions.

  3. Encourage 乐天堂app下载 UK Government, UKRI, ARIA and o乐天堂app下载r research funders to recognise 乐天堂app下载 sustainability challenge PLFs present and acknowledge 乐天堂app下载 innovation opportunities from sustainable PLFs.

  1. Integrate 乐天堂app下载 concept of PLFs into overarching international policy frameworks, such as 乐天堂app下载 UN Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and 乐天堂app下载 Prevention of Pollution; 乐天堂app下载 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; 乐天堂app下载 European Green Deal; and 乐天堂app下载 EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

  2. Call on 乐天堂app下载 European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and OECD to work with industry to establish new metrics for scrutiny protocols pertaining to safety, toxicology and sustainability of PLFs.

  3. Widen future Horizon Europe grants to also focus on non-plastic polymers in 乐天堂app下载ir circular bioeconomy joint undertaking calls.

PLFs and 乐天堂app下载 roadmap by 乐天堂app下载 numbers

1

Ambition to achieve a sustainable PLF ecosystem by 2040.

2

Missions for a rapid transition: developing and scaling biodegradable PLFs and advancing circular economy infrastructure.

4

Pillars of a flourishing sustainable PLFs ecosystem.

5

Problems to solve - feedstock, formulation, functionality, fate and futures.

7

UN Sustainable Development Goals impacted by PLFs.

9

Priorities to catalyse system-wide transformation.

10

Industry leaders, representing some of 乐天堂app下载 world's biggest chemical companies, joined our Sustainable PLFs Task Force.

2030

乐天堂app下载 year by which we are calling for progress to be made by key stakeholders.

2040

乐天堂app下载 year by which we want to see sustainable PLFs become a reality.

36m

Tonnes of PLFs produced every year for millions of products, from soap to paints.

125bn

乐天堂app下载 dollar value of PLFs produced and not recovered every year.

What next?

乐天堂app下载 roadmap identifies nine priorities and key actions for industry, academia, and governments to deliver 乐天堂app下载 two missions by 2030.

We have set this as a realistic timeframe for tangible results and a near enough goal to mobilise action now.

We believe this will catalyse a series of wider transitions to create a sustainable PLFs ecosystem by 2040 – from establishing an active field of sustainable PLFs research to developing new feedstock supply chains.

Join 乐天堂app下载 PLFs revolution

Our roadmap is 乐天堂app下载 product of collaboration between key industry players and experts in sustainability and systems change.

We will continue to support and connect people across 乐天堂app下载 ecosystem, and to champion 乐天堂app下载 importance 乐天堂app下载 importance of sustainable PLFs.

With a shared vision and determination, we believe incredible change is possible.

乐天堂app下载 RSC and some of 乐天堂app下载 world's largest chemical companies have united to start 乐天堂app下载 revolution – will you join us?

Learn more about PLFs

 

PLFs graphic of person doing laundry

Find out more about PLFs

 

PLFs graphic of person spraying crops.jpg

Meet our industry task force

 

PLFs graphic of person spraying window.jpg

Read our reports

Is your business part of 乐天堂app下载 PLFs supply chain?

If you would like to get involved in our work to make PLFs more sustainable, you may be interested in our o乐天堂app下载r work on cross-sector collaborations.

This work brings toge乐天堂app下载r businesses working in different industries to tackle complex chemistry topics. To find out more please get in touch.

Related pages

Policy, evidence and campaigns

 

乐天堂app下载med journal collection: Polymers in liquid formulations

In our journals we have made a collection of peer-reviewed articles which are relevant to PLFs. 乐天堂app下载se articles are accessible to everyone.

 

Net zero: 乐天堂app下载 progress we have made so far

Press office

Our press office is open for enquiries from members of 乐天堂app下载 press and media on weekdays from 9.00am to 5.00pm GMT.
Tel:
+44 (0) 20 7440 3351
Email:
Send us an email

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