Chemistry is painting a new picture for households
Finding ways to defossilise, reuse and recycle PLFs is a priority
Polymers in liquid formulations (PLFs) play a vital role in our lives and are found everywhere – from ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ paints on our walls to ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ detergents in our cupboards. However, ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ way ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØy are made, used and disposed of is unsustainable.
We currently rely on oil to make almost all PLFs – almost enough to fill Wembley Stadium 32 times every single year. And while half of a tin of paint is made of PLFs, only 2% of waste paint is currently recycled or reused – ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ rest is eiÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØr burned or sent to landfill.
ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ Royal Society of Chemistry is working with some of ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ leading chemistry-using companies in ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ world to put ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ issue of PLFs on ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ map and to drive this change. Our Sustainable PLFs task force has set an overarching ambition for ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ industry: transition to a sustainable PLFs market by 2040.
Achieving this will require a concerted, coordinated effort across ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ whole innovation ecosystem – from building ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ fundamental knowledge base, to developing networks for collaboration, investing in research and innovation, and enacting effective policies and regulation. That’s why we have also established a roadmap to 2040 with two critical missions and nine priorities to support this change and foster collaboration, investment and innovation across ÀÖÌìÌÃappÏÂÔØ system, ultimately painting a new picture for households.