The UK University of Portsmouth said it has created a Revolution Plastics Institute to develop what it calls solutions-focused research that will speed up the transition towards a sustainable plastics future.

The creation of the new institute follows in the wake of the success of the university’s Revolutions Plastics initiative. That began in 2020, and over the past four years has grown into a community of around 100 staff and 20 PhD students. According to the university, the initiative has pioneered advanced enzyme-recycling techniques and contributed to critical discussions on the UN treaty to end plastics pollution.

Hosted by the university’s Faculty of Business and Law, the new Revolutions Plastics Institute will operate as “a network of interconnected researchers and innovators across the university, consolidating and expanding a world-leading plastics-focused research, innovation, and teaching community”, the university said in a statement.

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The institute’s three over-arching aims are to evaluate change across the plastics lifecycle, find socio-economic solutions to reduce plastics pollution, and develop innovation and technology for a sustainable plastics future.

Steve Fletcher, the institute’s director, said, “We are witnessing an escalating global plastics pollution crisis and the launch of the Revolution Plastics Institute marks a critical moment in our commitment to confront and overcome this pressing challenge.  

“In the face of environmental adversity, our mission is clear: to revolutionise our understanding, collaborate globally, and lead the way towards a world free from plastics pollution”.