Assessing the impacts of plastics MASTS Webinar with Tamara Galloway (University of Exeter) - Free online event

Plastic debris is a societal issue of global concern, illustrating the difficulties in balancing the convenience of plastic in daily life with the environmental degradation caused by careless disposal.

The environment impacts of plastic extends beyond the end-of-life issues of litter; the carbon footprint of the plastics industry already exceeds that of air travel and shipping combined, and is set to grow hugely in future if current methods of production and patterns of use continue.

This talk will provide an overview of our work at the University of Exeter in determining the impacts of plastics. It will include a summary of the ecotoxicology of microplastics, their entry into the marine food web, and the biological impacts this can lead to.

The future of plastics is also considered, including how the Circular Economy can provide a more sustainable vision of the future, where new materials and business models are developed and plastics never become waste.