Plastics for Future Generations Conference

We hope you can attend The Plastics for Future Generations Conference which will be held on 14th June in Cardiff. Our Centre research associate Dr Mohammad Mazharul Islam will be presenting ‘Designing Suitable Heterogenous Catalysts for Polyolefin Upcycling in the Pursuit of Circular Plastic Economy’.

The conference will be a great networking opportunity with diverse attendance for cross-sector collaborations.

The Conference Schedule:

12:00-12:30 Networking Lunch 

12:30-12:40 Introduction by Professor Steve Ormerod 

12:40-12:50 Guest Talk by Richard Clark, Head of Single Use Plastics Team, Welsh Government 

12:50-13:50 Plastics in the Environment chaired by Professor Isabelle Durance 

Researchers:

• Dr Timothy Jones: The distribution and chemistry of airborne microplastics in Beijing, China. 
• Professor Joanne Cable: Plastic Fish: assessing the scale, physical chemistry and biological impacts of petrochemical and bioplastics within fish aquaculture
• Dr Sam Varvastian: The role of courts in plastic pollution governance. 
• Professor Tiago Alves: Scientific, societal, and pedagogical approaches to tackle the impact of climate change on plastic pollution. 

 Panellists: 

• Dr Adriana Kiss, Water Policy Advisor and Ex-Single Use Plastics Bill Manager, Welsh Government 
• Thomaz Cordeiro Andrade, Water Policy Advisor (Chemicals), Welsh Government/NRW 
• Gail Davis-Walsh, CEO, Afonydd Cymru 
• Jemma Bere, Policy and Research Manager, Keep Wales Tidy

13:55-14:45 Plastics and Society chaired by Professor Wouter Portinga 

Researchers: 

• Professor Anthony Campbell: Microplastics-impact on human health and pharmacology.  
• Dr Nicole Koenig-Lewis: Consumer preferences for compostable versus plastic food packaging – the link between food packaging and perceived food healthiness. 
• Stephanie Matthews: Microplastics education in schools. 

Panellists:  

• Kiera Marshall, Deputy Head of Policy (Wales), Federation of Small Businesses 
• Sara Jones, Head of Welsh Retail, British Retail Consortium 

14:45-15:10 Break with refreshments 

15:10-16:30 Plastics in a Circular Economy (chair: Professor Jonathan Gosling) 

Researchers: 

• Ellie Ellison: Catalysis for Chemical Recycling.
• Dr Benjamin Ward: New polymers with in-built recyclability.  
• Dr Mohammad Mazharul Islam: Designing Suitable Heterogenous Catalysts for Polyolefin Upcycling in the Pursuit of Circular Plastic Economy.  
• Dr Michael Pascoe: The future of hygiene: moving beyond plastic-based wipes for sustainable disinfection.  
• Professor Mohamed Naim: A closed loop circular economy model for increasing Recycled Content in LDPE bags.  
• Ms Nadine Leder: Joint Purchasing – a Reusable Cup Scheme to foster Circular Tourism. 

 Panellists: 

• Roger Mills, Waste Campaigns Coordinator, Cardiff Council 
• Ben Maizey, Chair of Recycle Link Wales and Director of Charted Institute for Waste Management 
• Howard Davies, Packaging Policy Manager, Welsh Government 
• Costa Athanatos, Business Account and Project Delivery Manager, WRAP 
• Ade Gunn-Wilson, Sales and Marketing Director, Howies 
• Lara Steinhobel, Sustainability Issues Executive, British Plastics Federation 

16:30-16:35 Closing Remarks by Network Champions 

Location reminder: Rooms 0.54 and 0.55 in Bute Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3NB. Please find information about the building via this link.