What are the key trends shaping our future in the coming months that will have the greatest potential to transform the world over the next decade? Plastic recycling is one of the 12 key technologies, according to Foresight 2021 by Lux Research. Autonomous vehicles, natural language processing, AI-enabled sensors, bioinformatics, green hydrogen, shared mobility, alternative proteins, 3D printing, materials informatics, precision agriculture, and synthetic biology are the other technologies.

HIGH DEMAND FOR INNOVATIONS THAT CONVERT WASTE INTO HIGHER-VALUE PRODUCTS

"Innovations that can convert plastic waste into a variety of valuable products, enabling a circular economy and avoiding pollution," says Charles Willard, analyst at Lux Research. "Concerns about plastic waste from consumers and regulators have only grown, and major consumer product companies from food to apparel have made commitments to increase recycling rates and usage of recycled content. Innovations that can convert waste into higher-value products are in high demand to meet the challenge," adds the chemical and biological engineer based in Boston.

15% OF PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC AND PS WILL BE "GREEN" BY 2030

According to the latest study published by Lux Research, 15% of the 6 commodities mainly used in the world, namely PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC and PS, will be "green" (recycled or biosourced) by 2030. A recycling rate of 60% should be achieved for PET worldwide by 2030. However, the company predicts that less progress will be made for PS and PP in the same time period. By 2030 73 million tonnes of PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC and PS should be recycled each year worldwide. According to Lux Research, this means that 42 million tonnes of recycled plastics could be placed on the market each year from then on.