Photo by James Wakibia

Working globally to end plastic pollution

Supporting the transition to a sustainable plastics future

Photo by James Wakibia

We’re on a mission to tackle the plastics crisis. 

Radical action is needed to stop the damaging impacts of plastic pollution on health and the environment. There’s no time to waste.

Our researchers are helping to build a world that’s more sustainable. We’re analysing plastics policy worldwide. Pioneering the use of arts-based research methods to address plastic pollution. Engineering enzymes to break down plastic faster. Developing new, sustainable materials. Working to transform the potential of plastic recycling and reuse. And furthering the world’s understanding of how microplastics affect us all.

Ready to join the revolution?

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Revolution Plastics Institute Logo

Introducing the Revolution Plastics Institute

Revolution Plastics Institute

 

Dr Noorin Khamisani

I think that what's really sad is that the state of our planet right now is that it is drowning under the plastic waste.

 

Dr Cressida Bowyer

Whether it's macroplastics, microplastics or nanoplastics, we now find these plastics everywhere on the planet.

 

Prof Steve Fletcher

From the top of the tallest mountain to the bottom of the deepest ocean.

 

Prof Alex Ford

We're seeing it washing up on our shores all around us as we speak.

 

Dr Cressida Bowyer

We also find them in our bodies.

 

Dr Noorin Khamisani

It's out of control.

 

Dr Cressida Bowyer

The environmental and ecological challenges we're facing are that plastics are interfering with healthy functioning of ecosystems.

 

Prof Alex Ford

We have got a chemical crisis, the biodiversity crisis and the climate crisis.

 

Prof Steve Fletcher

The Revolution Plastics Institute has a really strong mission driven research agenda to tackle the negative effects of plastic pollution across the entire plastics lifecycle.

 

Prof Fay Conceiro

Collaboration within our group in the University of Portsmouth is absolutely essential to finding how to deal with the problem of plastics.

 

Prof Alex Ford

We need to be able to live sustainably. And to do that, you need to have those people that understand the different components of how society works.

 

Prof Steve Fletcher

We can have all the scientific and economic and social evidence we need, but ultimately it's about changing policy to actually make a difference.

 

Hugo Lynch

Industry is not aware about what the chemical composition of their plastics is, what happens when it breaks down and what the effect of that is when it's made into something else. Researchers leading the direction in terms of gathering knowledge and sharing recommendations is the only way we're going to move the dial.

 

Noga Levy-Rapoport

The research has an incredibly important role to offer. We know that political education, when packaged publicly in an accessible way, can totally transform the way that people envision a sustainable future. 

 

Dr Cressida Bowyer

Portsmouth as a case study site is a very interesting place because it's an island city.

 

Prof Alex Ford

It is a mesocosm of what's going on around the UK and what's going on around the globe.

 

Prof Steve Fletcher

Portsmouth is the perfect place to host the Revolution Plastics Institute because Portsmouth as a city exhibits all of the challenges we face when trying to tackle the global plastics crisis.

So we can test out solutions and ideas here that we can apply elsewhere and hopefully scale up to make a real difference.

 

Prof Fay Conceiro

If you have hundreds, thousands of people collecting data, you can really build up a good picture of what's happening in our environment.

 

Prof Steve Fletcher

The goal of the Revolution Plastics Institute is to bring people with us on a journey, whether you're in government. in the private sector, in a campaign group or a member of the public. We've all got a role to play in tackling the global plastics crisis, and that's what our institute will do.

 

Prof Andy Pickford

We are accumulating vast amounts of plastic waste.

 

Nigel Salter

We've produced more plastic in the last ten years than in the previous 100 years. We're currently producing 400 million tonnes of plastic waste per year. That's set to double by 2040. And of that plastic waste, only 9% is being recycled.

 

Dr Noorin Khamisani

We need to be challenging the status quo and we need to transform the way that we work with plastics.

 

Noga Levy-Rapoport

Our plastic waste is an enormous symptom of our addiction to fossil fuels. This has resulted in a very difficult state for our planet, but crucially, it's resulted in a lot of people feeling like they can't see a way out, a way to live without plastic.

 

Dr Cressida Bowyer

The abnormal has become completely normal, and people can't actually remember a time when these plastic mountains weren't present.

 

Nelmo Munyiri

It’s very important that everyone takes action right now, and not tomorrow and not the day after. Not after a year, or after ten years. We need that action right now.

 

Our mission

The Revolution Plastics Institute is putting research into practice, addressing plastics pollution and generating a globally-relevant community of plastics researchers.

The primary purpose of the Institute is to urgently confront the global plastics crisis through inclusive, solutions-focused research and innovation to support the transition to a sustainable plastics future. We see a critical space for the University as an independent, objective evidence provider at the interface of government, businesses, citizens, and researchers.

Our multidisciplinary approach to plastics research

The projects we’re working on span across all disciplines combining creativity, research and innovation to address the impact of plastic and achieve sustainability across all aspects of society, politics and the economy.

We’re already making progress. We’ve engineered an enzyme that can break down one of the most polluting plastics; worked with communities in the global south to co-develop solutions to pollution; and studied how microplastics affect our oceans, economy and the air we breathe

Right now, we’re helping to shape a global agreement to end plastic pollution, examining the effectiveness of existing plastic policies, and working with national governments to support their action on plastic pollution.

High impact areas

Evaluating change across the plastics lifecycle

Lead: Professor Fay Couceiro

  • Identifying and analysing the shifting characteristics of the global plastics crisis.
  • Gathering data on the sources, pathways and impacts of plastic pollution.
  • Assessing the environmental, social and human health impacts of plastic pollution.

Socio-economic solutions to reduce plastic pollution

Lead: Dr Antaya March

  • Evaluating and developing policy measures to reduce plastic pollution.
  • Using arts-based participatory methods to engage stakeholders and co-develop solutions. 
  • Assessing the policy, economic, social and cultural enablers for a sustainable plastics economy.

Innovation and technology for a sustainable plastics future

Lead: Professor Andy Pickford

  • Enhancing the role of innovation in addressing the global plastics crisis.
  • Pioneering enzymatic plastic recycling technologies.
  • Developing new technology, materials, business models, and methods to tackle and monitor plastic pollution.
Flags of the world against blue sky

Global Plastics Treaty

In March 2022, a landmark resolution was reached at the United Nations Environment Assembly to develop an international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution (the ‘global plastics treaty’). By the end of 2024, the world can expect to see how the Treaty will transform the way we resource, produce, use and dispose of plastics.

Our research is supporting the ongoing international negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty by supplying policy briefs and scientific guidance to negotiators and decision makers.  
 

Find out more
 

 

Research centres and groups

Global Plastics Policy Centre

We're analysing plastic policies as they are developed around the world, giving governments and industry groups the evidence needed to make better decisions to manage plastics.
Large pile of plastic waste
Read more

Centre for Enzyme Innovation

The Centre builds on the momentum of our globally-acclaimed research in developing a plastic-dissolving enzyme that can digest some of the most polluting plastics.
Plastics bottles - Centre for Enzyme Innovation
Read more

Microplastics Research Group

We're researching the impact of microplastics on human health and the environment, and finding innovative solutions to plastic pollution.
Microplastics and synthetic fibres on a beach
Read more

Portsmouth Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing

We're working to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing by developing engineering solutions that are smarter, cleaner and sustainable.
Read more

Publication highlights

2024

Journeys of change towards the blue economy: evaluating process in transformational change

Evans, T. R., Failler, P., Fletcher, S., March, A. L. A., Potts, J.

27 Nov 2024, In: Regional Environmental Change . 24, 15p., 170

Biochemical and structural characterization of enzymes in the 4-hydroxybenzoate catabolic pathway of lignin-degrading white-rot fungi

Cox, P., Ingraham, M., Kellermyer, Z., Kuatsjah, E., Pickford, A., Ramirez, K., Salvachúa, D., Schwartz, A., Tornesakis, K., Woodworth, S. P., Zahn, M.

26 Nov 2024, In: Cell Reports. 43, 20p., 115002

Understanding the catalytic efficiency of two polyester degrading enzymes: an experimental and theoretical investigation

Clark, M., Cox, P. A., König, G., Lichtenstein, B. R., Pickford, A. R., Tornesakis, K., Zahn, M.

5 Nov 2024, In: ACS Omega. 9, 44, p. 44724-44733, 10p.

Bringing the ocean to the stage: performing coastal values and marine management

Bowyer, C., Fairbrass, A., Fradera, K., Georgia, S., Hughes, E. E., McKinley, E., Potts, J.

21 Oct 2024, In: Ocean and Society. 1, 19p., 8678

A high-throughput screening platform for engineering poly(ethylene terephthalate) hydrolases

Banerjee, S., Beckham, G. T., Bemmer, V. L., Clark, M. A., Dale, T., Groseclose, T., Kober, E., Moore, B. R., Nguyen, H., Pickford, A.

17 Sep 2024, In: ACS Catalysis. 14, 17p.

 

Research projects

Our work is making a difference. The projects we’re working on span across all disciplines combining creativity, research and innovation to address the impact of plastic and achieve sustainability across all aspects of society, the economy and politics

Plastic bottle under water

Assessing pollution in Great Britain's coastal waters with GB Row

In collaboration with GB Row, we're undertaking a detailed survey of microplastics, e-DNA and noise pollution around Great Britain’s waters

Masibambisane mural in South Africa

Masibambisane

This project used street art, theatre and song and circular economy approaches to reduce open dumping and burning of waste and to increase plastic recycling in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Microplastics on a sandy beach

Microbial transformation of plastics in SE Asian seas: a hazard and a solution (MicroSEAP)

The MicroSEAP project seeks to understand the impact plastic pollution has on marine ecosystems in South East Asia and find solutions to the problem.

Littered plastic bottle in Portsmouth

Mapping Portsmouth’s Plastic (MAPP)

The world’s first programme of city-wide plastic pollution surveys using a citizen science-based approach.

FlipFlopi heritage boat building in Lamu, Kenya

Mitigating Plastic Pollution Through Heritage Boat Building

A project to establish a boat building training centre to teach local boat builders and students how to design and construct recycled sailing vessels and other products combining indigenous knowledge with modern innovation.

 

 

Latest news and blogs from the Revolution Plastics Institute

News

Revolution Plastics Institute co-host an event in Busan ahead of INC-5

Revolution Plastics Institute at the forefront of Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations

22 November 2024

Revolution Plastics Institute at the forefront of Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations
CEI

University to share in £3 million funding to reduce plastic waste

18 November 2024

University to share in £3 million funding to reduce plastic waste
Six rowers rowing on the ocean

Rowing for a cleaner ocean: Portsmouth PhD student joins GB Row Challenge

14 November 2024

Rowing for a cleaner ocean: Portsmouth PhD student joins GB Row Challenge
plastic waste

What is mission critical for an effective Global Plastics Treaty?

14 November 2024

What is mission critical for an effective Global Plastics Treaty?
Car tyres

Study calls for recognition of tyre particles as a distinct environmental threat

13 November 2024

Study calls for recognition of tyre particles as a distinct environmental threat

Blogs

plastic bottles

Global plastic pollution talks have stalled – but a treaty is possible if countries can agree on these three things

Steve Fletcher

Global plastic pollution talks have stalled – but a treaty is possible if countries can agree on these three things
Unsplash Plastic Pollution

How theatre, music and film are helping us unlock new solutions to the world’s plastics problem

How theatre, music and film are helping us unlock new solutions to the world’s plastics problem
Car tyres

Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed

Alex Ford

Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed
pw

Time is running out for a treaty to end plastic pollution – here’s why it matters

Steve Fletcher

Time is running out for a treaty to end plastic pollution – here’s why it matters
Revolution Plastics Institute team beside the plastic tap sculpture at INC-4 in Ottawa

Revolution Plastics Institute attending the final negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty in Busan

Revolution Plastics Institute attending the final negotiations for a Global Plastics Treaty in Busan

 

Institute leadership

The Revolution Plastics Institute is led by Professor Steve Fletcher and Dr Cressida Bowyer. Our mission is guided by the expertise of our Advisory Council, composed of senior executives from organisations and sectors that play a role in plastics and sustainability. 

Stephen Fletcher Portrait

Professor Steve Fletcher

Steve.Fletcher@port.ac.uk

Faculty of Business and Law

PhD Supervisor

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Cressida Jane Bowyer Portrait

Media ready expert

Dr Cressida Bowyer

Associate Professor in Arts and Sustainability

cressida.bowyer@port.ac.uk

Faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries

PhD Supervisor

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Researchers

Fay Couceiro Portrait

Media ready expert

Professor Fay Couceiro

Professor of Environmental Pollution

Fay.Couceiro@port.ac.uk

School of Civil Engineering and Surveying

Faculty of Technology

PhD Supervisor

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Antaya Lauren Alexandra March Portrait

Media ready expert

Miss Antaya March

Senior Research Associate

antaya.march@port.ac.uk

Economics and Finance

Faculty of Business and Law

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Andrew Robert Pickford Portrait

Media ready expert

Professor Andrew Pickford

Professor of Molecular Biophysics

Andy.Pickford@port.ac.uk

School of the Environment and Life Sciences

Faculty of Science and Health

PhD Supervisor

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Hom Nath Dhakal Portrait

Media ready expert

Professor Hom Dhakal

Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Hom.Dhakal@port.ac.uk

School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Technology

PhD Supervisor

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Keiron Philip Roberts Portrait

Media ready expert

Dr Keiron Roberts

Senior Lecturer

Keiron.Roberts@port.ac.uk

School of Civil Engineering and Surveying

Faculty of Technology

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Tegan Rhiannon Evans Portrait

Media ready expert

Miss Tegan Evans

Research Fellow

Tegan.Evans@port.ac.uk

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Contact us

Revolution Plastics Institute
RB 1.10, Richmond Building
Portland St
Portsmouth
PO1 3DE

Email: revolutionplastics@port.ac.uk 

Telephone: +44 (0) 23 9284 6240

Interested journalists can contact the University's Media and Communications team.