Montanari W., Antonini D., Avella R., Frioni V., Giffoni M., Masi M., Prifti K., Villano M., Regattieri G., 2023, Position Paper: the Sustainability of Plastics, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 98, 1-8.
The unique properties and performance of plastic materials entail their massive production and use with consequently generation of huge amount of plastic waste, which can cause significant impact on the environment, if not properly managed. Institutional and industrial actions are required to face the ever-increasing plastics demand while making the entire chain more sustainable, from the selection of raw materials to production, use, and final disposal of plastic materials. Here, an overview of plastics properties and applications, as well as main issues related to the plastic waste management is presented along with a discussion on the emerging technologies that have been launched to increase the sustainability of the entire plastics industry. These latter include both recycling processes and the use of renewable raw materials, including waste streams, for the production of biobased and bio-attributed products.
