Plastic Surgery

Trick or treaty?

Dear doctor, We keep hearing about a possible UN treaty on plastics pollution, but is it all talk or are we making actual progress with it? What are its aims and obstacles? Thank you. Anonymous, Belgium Dear Sir/Madam, A lot of work has taken place behind the scenes since the UN established an ‘expert group’ in 2017 to explore global actions to support the long-term elimination of marine litter...

Note to sender

Dear doctor, The UK’s Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) system has long been criticised for its lack of transparency and the opportunities for fraudulent issuing of PRNs and Packaging Export Recovery Notes (PERNs). Do you think it’s fit-for-purpose and how are the problems being tackled? Thank you. Yours, Name and company withheld Dear Sir, You’re absolutely right in that the PRN/PERN system has had its controversies in recent years, but conceptually, it...

Can titanium dioxide be used in PLA?

Dear doctor, I would like to know if titanium dioxide (TiO2) could be used in polylactic acid (PLA). We have demonstrated the viability of injection...

Is there room for the PlantBottle?

Dear doctor, I have a question for you about PlantBottle, Coca-Cola’s drop-in bio-PET technology. Coca-Cola opened the intellectual property (IP) and allowed others to use...

Better off paying tax?

Dear doctor, The UK government has announced its intention to introduce a plastic packaging tax from April 2022, which will apply to plastics packaging manufactured...