This report, for the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, results from our study of the current status of bio-based and biodegradable plastics in Denmark and builds on similar work undertaken for the Norwegian Environment Directorate. The Danish Government has a consolidated action plan for plastics as a result of its 2018 [...]
The Scottish Government selected us to undertake a study to assess the sources, pathways, fate and environmental impact of microplastics in Scotland, in three environmental contexts: the terrestrial environment including agricultural land, the freshwater environment, and the marine environment. Our findings were recently released in a report. Initially, we prioritised [...]
This report results from a project for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in which we assessed the pathways, fate and environmental impact of microplastics in Scotland. Specific objectives of the project were to: appraise the main environmental risks posed by microplastic pollution in Scotland’s terrestrial, freshwater and marine environment; [...]
We are excited to announce that we have been appointed by DG Environment to carry out one of the first studies into the end-of-life waste management of both conventional and biodegradable agricultural plastics across the European Union. Plastics are widely used in agricultural practices, for example in mulch films to [...]
With consumers across the UK demanding a switch away from plastic, unprecedented development into plastic alternatives, new business models and alternatives ways of thinking are required. While both industry and government have recognised the need to re-invent the UK plastics economy, enacting real-world change requires cooperation and communication across the [...]
This summary report explores potential loopholes in the European Commission’s Single Use Plastics Directive. The research found that that certain ‘natural polymers’ could be exempted under the Directive’s definition of plastic, including those likely to have similar negative effects on the environment as their synthetic counterparts. If taken forward, the [...]
This report supports the summary report What is Plastic? A Summary Report Exploring the Potential for Certain Materials to be Exempted from the Single Use Plastics Directive. The EU Single-Use Plastics (SUP) Directive focuses on reducing plastic pollution from single-use items, particularly in the marine environment. In order to determine [...]
We have been working with WRAP Cymru and Sustainable Global Resources to develop a guide for procuring plastics in the Welsh public sector. 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste were generated in Wales in 2014, with a growing body of evidence indicating that waste not collected for recycling is accumulating in [...]
We have been working with Mepex on behalf of the Norwegian Environment Agency (NEA) to map the impacts of a switch away from 19 commonly-littered single use plastic items in Norway. On 27 March 2019, the European Parliament formally passed the Single Use Plastic Directive, which will require Member States [...]
Our Senior Consultant Dr Chiarina Darrah took part in a panel discussion on the problem of releases of microplastics from tyre abrasion at this year’s Fully Charged Live. The festival of clean energy technologies and electric vehicles took place over 7th–9th June at Silverstone, UK. The event featured a full [...]