Our work with industry to set a sustainable course for millions of everyday products

Today we are announcing the launch of a sustainability campaign that could impact all our futures.

Very few outside of the chemical industries will be aware of polymers in liquid formulations, or PLFs as they are also known, but almost all of us interact with them on a daily basis.

Found in millions of consumer and industrial products, they are an intrinsic part of our lives – from ingredients in the paints on our walls to the shampoos and detergents in our cupboards. In fact, 36 billion tonnes of these materials, enough to fill 14,500 Olympic sized swimming pools or Wembley stadium 32 times over, are made and sold for $125 billion each year.

Despite their importance, the way that PLFs are made, used and disposed of is putting unnecessary strain on our environment by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, using up the earth’s finite resources and generating physical waste. These issues create risks for all parts of the value chain, from monomer producers to product formulators and waste management companies.

Read more