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Welcome to the Plastics Unwrapped podcast

Join us on a journey to explore plastics sustainability through thought-provoking discussions with industry experts. Plastics have an integral role in many applications, but its easy use often leads to it being needlessly thrown away. How do we solve this? How do we keep the benefits of plastic and create a circular economy where that value is retained for as long as possible? Let’s find out together. From understanding the emotional responses we associate with plastics to the role of legislation, Plastics Unwrapped explores key topics relevant to the sustainable future of plastics.

Listen to the latest episode

Episode seventeen: Turning the Tide in Asia-Pac

As global plastic waste continues to be an issue in regions like Asia-Pacific, the pace of innovation and change in plastic production, consumption, and waste has increased. This episode explores the new policies introduced and what can lead to solution scaling in the region.

Explore all episodes

Season Three
Season Two
Season One

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Episode twelve: Design thinking plastics - Part 1

What does design thinking plastics for a future of sustainability mean? In this episode, we delve into how design thinking reimagines the role of plastic in our lives, sharing how it can help drive solutions for plastic's end of life and its future in a circular world.

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Episode thirteen: Design thinking plastics - Part 2

The second part of Design Thinking Plastics continues the deep dive into how design can help redefine the role of sustainability for plastics. Discover how businesses and designers are putting design thinking to action.

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Episode fourteen: Recycling and beyond - Part 1

In part one of Recycling and Beyond, we explore the challenges of waste management in the countries on the frontlines of dealing with plastic waste and its impact on communities most impacted by plastic waste in Africa.

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Episode fifteen: Recycling and beyond - Part 2

Mechanical recycling has existed for decades, but capacity isn’t keeping up with demand. In this episode, we discuss alternative innovations the industry focuses on, including advanced recycling—also known as molecular or chemical recycling—to fill the gap for the recycled plastics required and meet carbon emission targets.

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Episode sixteen: Science and entrepreneurship

In this episode, entrepreneurs from around the world share their sustainability-focused innovations within the plastics industry and how they can revolutionize plastics at both the consumer and industrial levels.

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Episode seventeen: Turning the tide in Asia-Pac

Episode eight: Tackling the plastic waste challenge through design

Explore the roles of design in enabling a circular economy for plastics by delving into the challenges and opportunities of scaling designing for recycling solutions. A panel of guest discuss the role of individual businesses in advancing plastics recycling and set out their own company goals, including objectives for improving waste management, reducing greenhouse gases, and increasing the recyclability of products.

Episode nine: Working with Africa’s informal waste sector

In this episode, hear about the progressive partnerships taking place across the African continent to transform the way plastic waste is collected through new business models for sustainable development.

Episode ten: Is plastic the new coal?

While the industry agrees that there’s a need to decarbonize plastics, is a comparison to coal fair? In this episode, we explore the journey the plastics industry needs to take to reach net zero emissions and how the smallest of shifts in consumer behaviour can drastically decrease the amount of virgin plastics needed to make packaging.

Episode eleven: Decarbonization and circularity – why they must go hand-in-hand

A sustainable future requires the creation of a circular economy for plastic, and we must build systems with decarbonisation at the core. In this episode, we discuss what’s needed to create a circular economy for plastics, how we're scaling advanced recycling and considerations for how the industry can reach net zero.

Episode one: Emotion vs. science

Dive into how we can balance the emotional response we feel when seeing waste through a logical, scientific approach when it comes to choosing materials.

Episode two: Bioplastics

Investigating the world of bioplastics. In this episode, we discuss market growth for renewable feedstocks and how these fits with the industry’s plans to reduce carbon emissions.

Episode three: Designing for recycling

Why is it so difficult to recycle plastics? What is the difference between recyclable and recycled? Why do recycling rates change so drastically from country to country and even street to street? This episode discusses the big issues around recycling plastics in different regions.

Episode four: Advanced recycling

What is Advanced Recycling, how does it work and what does this game-changing technology mean for our industry and consumers? Carsten Larsen, Iain Gulland and Sirt Mellema join us in this episode to discuss Advanced Recycling as a solution for reducing plastic waste.

Episode five: African landscapes

Listen to an open discussion on the opportunities and challenges we face with plastic waste in Africa and an exploration into how key collaborations are shifting the dial on collecting, sorting and recycling rates to build an effective circular economy.

Episode six: Plastics and the European Green Deal

In this episode, we discuss the Europoean Green Deal and what it means for the plastics industry and what actions organisations such as Dow are taking to ensure they meet the Green Deal’s goal of circularity and climate neutrality by 2050.

Episode seven: Reducing the carbon footprint for plastics

This episode delves into the need to reduce CO₂ emissions in the plastics industry and how Dow is working towards producing circular plastics with a lower CO₂ footprint.

Additional resources for episode topics

Take a look at some accompanying assets to the conversation.

Visit Sustmeme’s circular economy channel

Watch the Mura Technology video

Explore our design for recyclability brochure