On March 2 2022, delegates to the UN environment assembly adopted an ambitious resolution to develop the text of a new treaty by the end of 2024 to end plastic pollution. With 24 days of formal negotiation between almost 200 countries completed, spread over meetings in Peru, France, Kenya and Canada, the fifth and final negotiation meeting is about to take place in Busan, South Korea. This is crunch time. Agreement must be found or the opportunity to take global action to tackle plastic pollution might be lost.

With a legally binding global treaty to address plastic pollution on the horizon, what are the potential risks and opportunities for the UK? PoliticsHome sat down with Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the University of Portsmouth and UKRI Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) UK Plastic Pollution Agenda Setting Fellow, to learn how world-class research can position the UK as a global leader in the future of plastics.

University of Portsmouth PhD Student Wins Churchill Fellowship grant to Combat Plastic Waste at Crime Scenes

The Donkey Sanctuary Kenya sees rise in cases of poisoning and colic due to plastic ingestion

A new study has revealed worrying levels of fibreglass in oysters and mussels

Professor Steve Fletcher, Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute reflects on the Plastic Treaty negotiations.

In an effort to combat plastic waste, members of the Global Plastics Policy Centre at the University of Portsmouth today urged delegates at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) event to focus on trade measures that encourage the adoption of reuse systems.

Understanding why climate change might contribute to increasing plastic pollution is the focus of a new research project starting this month at the University of Portsmouth.

The University's Revolution Plastics Institute has been named the scientific lead for the ground-breaking Clean Planet Peninsula Project

This one-off special episode looks at INC-4 with University of Portsmouth experts who attended the fourth round of the Global Plastics Treaty

New study aims to understand the effects of plastic waste on endangered monkeys

Negotiators trying to bring an end to plastic pollution around the world have been told to prioritise reuse systems, by experts from the University of Portsmouth

UK households are throwing away on average 60 pieces of plastic packaging per household weekly, an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic nationally weekly, equating to 90 billion pieces of plastic packaging being thrown away annually

A new report from the University's Global Plastics Policy Centre and Common Seas unpacks the essential elements of successful National Plans to tackle plastic pollution

Inger Anderson, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, has come face to face with a ‘monster’ made of plastic collected by waste pickers from the informal settlement Mukuru in Nairobi.

The Big Plastic Count represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the public to influence the UN Global Plastics Treaty.

The University’s Centre for Enzyme Innovation (CEI) will lead the Preventing Plastic Pollution with Engineering Biology (P3EB) Mission Hub to support the transition towards a circular plastics economy in the UK

There’s an evolution of a revolution at the University of Portsmouth, with a new development that is poised to reshape how global plastic research takes place

Steve Fletcher, Professor of Ocean Policy and Economy and Director of Revolution Plastics at the University of Portsmouth, has been appointed by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), working closely with Innovate UK, to develop a transformative

In one of the first studies of its kind, scientists are investigating the effects of plastic pollution on donkeys in Kenya

Waste pickers from Kenya delivered a powerful and unique message to policymakers at the beginning of the third round of plastics treaty negotiations in Nairobi this week.

Waste pickers from Kenya will deliver an important message to policy makers at the next round of negotiations for a global plastics treaty in Nairobi this week.

The University of Portsmouth is helping to produce policies and solutions that tackle plastic pollution around the world.

With effective policy options set to be a key component of the Global Plastics Treaty, experts from around the world will meet at the Economist Impact Plastics Summit in Bangkok this week.