Landmark international conference announced to help end plastic pollution

A global gathering of plastic experts is taking place in Portsmouth this autumn.

Hosted by Revolution Plastics at the University of Portsmouth, PlasticsFuture 2022 hopes to find innovative solutions to the global plastics crisis. The conference will take a unique approach to finding solutions to end plastic pollution by embracing science, policy and the creative arts. 

Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth, says: “Our aim is to create a conference unlike any other. Technology doesn’t have all the answers and we want to look at alternative untapped sources to solve the global plastic crisis.  By bringing together a spectrum of disciplines under one roof, we hope to provoke creative solutions that will provide decision makers with a rich evidence base on which to build policy.”

The mission-driven conference will focus on sharing research and initiatives from a broad range of stakeholders, including; researchers, activists, community members, non-governmental organisations, industry, policymakers, and practitioners from around the world. Global thought leaders will share their knowledge, discuss recent advancements, and reveal exciting new insights in our efforts to end plastic pollution.  

PlasticsFuture 2022 will help build an evidence base to stimulate change. Professor Steve Fletcher is one of the keynote speakers and he says: “The transdisciplinary nature of the conference will allow a more rounded holistic approach to confronting plastics problems – and include expertise from all subject fields. Ultimately, PlasticsFuture 2022 will bring a new philosophical outlook to tackling plastic pollution.”

Experts and practitioners will be coming to Portsmouth from all over the world. Keynote speakers include Von Hernandez from the Philippines, one of Asia’s leading environmental activists and the Global Coordinator for the “Break Free from Plastic” movement. 

Nelson Munyiri is travelling from Kenya to speak at the conference. Born and raised in the informal settlement Mukuru in Nairobi, he is the founder of the Mukuru Youth Initiative which engages young people to be the agents of change within their own communities. Nelson is a recording and performing artist with a focus on human rights and social change, inspiring people to act on issues such as plastic pollution through music. 

Professor Judi Wakhungu is Kenya’s Ambassador to the French Republic, Portugal, Serbia and the Holy See and will also be speaking at Plastics Future 2022. From 2013 to 2018, she served as Kenya’s Minister of Environment & Natural Resources. Plastics legislation during her tenure as Minister is globally unmatched, including the 2017 law banning the “usage, manufacturing and importation” of plastic bags in Kenya. 

Plastics Future 2022 will take place between 1-3 November at the University of Portsmouth. Registration opens in July. Organisers are now calling for abstracts, short talks, posters, performances, and exhibits as well as proposals to run workshops, or chair a panel discussion at the conference. 

The University of Portsmouth is home to the Global Plastics Policy Centre, designed to give governments and industry groups the evidence needed to make better decisions around plastic policies, and find sustainable solutions to tackle plastic pollution around the world. The Global Plastics Policy Centre is the latest significant development from the Revolution Plastics initiative, which is putting the University of Portsmouth at the forefront of the plastics debate.