Plastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic materials made from polymers, which are long chains of molecules typically derived from petroleum, natural gas, or other organic sources. Plastics are ...

Researchers have spent the last few years trying to find which type of plastic biodegrades the fastest in a marine environment as millions of tons of plastics find their way into our oceans every year ...

In 1950, global plastic production was about 2 million tons. It’s now about 400 million tons – an increase of nearly 20,000%. As a material, it has seemingly limitless potential. Plastic is ...

Of all the major types of materials used today, plastics are one of the fastest-growing categories and offer the greatest opportunity for innovation. Decades of development towards improving the ...

Kaitlin Sullivan is a health and science journalist based in Colorado. She's been part of multiple award-winning investigations into health topics including the international medical device industry ...

Chemists have developed a catalytic process that turns the largest component of today's plastic waste stream, polyolefin plastic bags and bottles, into gases -- propylene and isobutylene -- that are ...

“The world’s commitment to ending plastic pollution is clear and undeniable,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), when the fifth negotiation session for an ...

Plastics are valued for their durability, but that quality also makes them difficult to break down. Tiny pieces of debris known as microplastics persist in soil, water and air and threaten ecosystems ...

Scientists in Madeira study the impacts of plastics on whales and dolphins. Far out in the eastern Atlantic, the Portuguese island of Madeira rises from the depths of the open ocean. Despite its ...

A new chemical process can essentially vaporize plastics that dominate the waste stream today and turn them into hydrocarbon building blocks for new plastics. The catalytic process, developed at the ...

Kevin A. Schug receives funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes for Health, ExxonMobil, and Weaver Consultants Group. He is affiliated with VUV Analytics, Inc. and ...