The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released a summary report following its Workshop: Transitioning to a Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics held June 8-9, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.
December 20, 2023
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The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) released a summary report following its Workshop: Transitioning to a Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics held June 8-9, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.
The workshop, which was hosted by BETO in partnership with DOE’s Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office and the Climate Pledge coalition, brought together stakeholders from industry, academia, national laboratories, and non-profit organizations to provide input on current challenges and opportunities to addressing and reducing plastic waste in oceans and landfills. This input is critical to advancing DOE’s vision for its Strategy for Plastics Innovation to develop and deploy technologies that minimize plastic waste and promote energy-efficient and economical plastic and bioplastic reuse and recycling.
Key themes that emerged from the workshop to inform future research needs included:
- Harmonization of policies and regulations
- Improved data, insight, and tools
- Expanded plastic feedstock amount and quality
- New business models to expand reuse
- Material and recycling technology innovation
- Collaboration as key enabler