In this episode of the Sustainably Speaking podcast I have a conversation with host Mia Freis Quinn and guest co-host Stewart Harris on how governments and businesses can work together to improve circularity and keep plastic out of our environment.

Plastic Free July is an opportunity to reflect on the pervasiveness of plastic in our daily lives and highlight opportunities to build a circular economy. Plastic production increased more than 200-fold between 1950 and 2019, growing from 2 million tonnes to 460 million tonnes per year, yet only 14–18% of plastic is recycled globally.

A wave of advanced recycling innovations has the potential to transform recycling practices, offering some important advantages over established mechanical technologies. I am the project director of a new assessment that has just been published—produced by Economist Impact and supported by Dow—that examines the distinguishing characteristics of a range of plastic recycling technologies.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. The World Ocean Initiative's coverage includes research on the value that can be extracted from plastic waste, an article exploring what’s in our plastic waste, and summary articles of recent webinars and events.

The first phase of a new research project that I am directing, on "Rethinking plastics in a circular economy", sponsored by Dow, has just been released. There is significant value to extract from plastic waste. Scaling up advanced chemical recycling technologies could help close the loop and create a circular system for plastic waste.

As part of the Blue Recovery Series, the World Ocean Initiative hosted a webinar on the roles of science, innovation and investment in establishing a sustainable ocean economy in the post-coronavirus period.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. To mark this occasion, the World Ocean Initiative is highlighting some of our recent coverage on tackling marine plastic pollution.

Recent World Ocean Initiative coverage highlights the need for systemic change, concerted corporate action and international collaboration.