RSC Polymers in Liquid Formulations Revolution Launch Event

ECFP attended the Royal Society of Chemistry's launch event for their campaign to achieve sustainable polymers in liquid formulations

18 August 2023

Everyone encounters Polymers in Liquid Formulations (PLFs) on a daily basis, from personal care products to food and drink to treating our crops and wastewater. Currently, around 36 million tonnes of these products are made from fossil sources every year.

Dr Denise Li recently attended the Royal Society of Chemistry’s launch event for their campaign towards sustainable PLFs, organised by Prof Anju Massey-Brooker. The morning panel discussions highlighted the importance of raising awareness and harnessing opportunities; there has so far been no collective effort to move towards sustainable PLFs and we must take this chance to set the agenda and influence the global community to bring about change, rather than wait for such actions to be enforced.

The PLFs Revolution 2040 Roadmap Front Cover credit: The Royal Society of Chemistry

Supported by industry leaders, including BASF, Croda, Afton Chemical, Dow, Crown Paints, Northumbrian Water, Scott Bader, Unilever, United Utilities and Walgreens Boots Alliance, the Society’s PLF taskforce have developed a roadmap to sustainable PLFs by 2040. The report sets out major milestones for achieving this large-scale industrial transition, and identifies five key problem areas: Feedstock, Formulation, Functionality, Fate, and Future of PLFs. These five ‘F’s are where collaboration between industry and academia, and fostering strong working relationships, can ensure significant progress towards the core ambition of a sustainable PLFs revolution.

ECFP offers a unique model for industry to access academic expertise and state-of-the-art facilities, meaning that external partners gain immediate access to consultancy and collaborative projects. Our research specialises in the characterisation and development of formulations through soft matter science, therefore we foresee huge potential for us to combat the formulation and functionality problem areas. Our recent publications include rheological design of hand gel formulations with polymers as well as developing new characterisation methods to match processing and application conditions.

We are always seeking external partners to deliver translational impact into real-world applications. Please contact us for more information.

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