Plastic pollution is a major problem, which affects terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in various parts of the world, endangering human and environmental health. Over 12m tonnes of plastic find the way to the oceans every year. The significant amounts of plastic seen in the gyres in the North and South Pacific, as well as in the Atlantic, show the scope of the problem, and suggest that integrated solutions are urgently needed. This means that not only innovative approaches to prevent and manage plastic waste are needed, but that there is a perceived need to find alternatives to conventional plastic by, for example, fostering the development of bioplastic products.
Against this background, the Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management" of the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, in collaboration with various organisations in Europe and in Asia, is organising the "European-Asian Symposia on Innovation and Integrative Approaches in Handling Plastic Pollution and Fostering Bioplastics Production". The events will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 5th June 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on 7th June 2023, and are organised as part of the project "Bioplastics Europe" funded by the programme Horizon 2020.
