Plastics have become an integral part of everyday life – yet they also represent one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Global production continues to rise, and many types of plastics persist in the environment for extremely long periods. Even when packaging and other products break down, tiny plastic particles – known as microplastics – remain and make their way into soils, waterways, and ecosystems.
So how can we solve the plastic problem? The answer is complex and requires long‑term, scientifically driven approaches. One thing is clear: there is no simple solution. Instead, we need new ideas, new materials, and new circular systems that reduce the environmental impact of plastics and protect natural resources.
At the Center for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC), researchers are working on precisely these challenges. The vision of a “Plastic 2.0” involves materials that not only offer the required technical performance but can also be produced economically at scale and fully disassembled and reused at the end of their life cycle – in other words, truly circular materials.
In the MDR podcast “Die großen Fragen in 10 Minuten” (“The Big Questions in 10 Minutes”), CTC Founding Director Peter Seeberger joins host Maike zum Hoff to discuss how plastics could be reimagined for the future. Together, they explore innovative new approaches, the potential of next‑generation materials, and strategies for addressing the pollution already present in the environment – ranging from advanced recycling to biological degradation.
At CTC, our thematic areas “renewable feedstocks” and “recycling” are designed to tackle exactly this challenge.
Listen to the podcast in German here: Die Großen Fragen in 10 Minuten: Podcast in der ARD Audiothek
