About: Program on Plastics, Ecosystems, and Public Health
In 1907, chemist Leo Baekeland introduced the world to his invention known as Bakelite—the world’s first fully synthetic plastic—marking the beginning of the Polymer Age. For better and worse, this new material has revolutionized nearly every aspect of human life. As one of the most versatile, affordable, and durable substances ever produced, plastic provides tremendous benefits and economic value.
But the plastic revolution has also come at a considerable cost. The benefits of broadly used plastic materials are diminished by the mounting environmental impacts of plastic debris in our air, land, waterways, and oceans. The long term effects of human consumption of microplastics—increasingly found in our food and drinking water—remain unclear.
Founded at the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, the Program on Plastics, Ecosystems, and Public Health (PEPH) is a multidisciplinary team science initiative that examines the product lifecycle of everyday plastics, exploring the implications for environmental and human well-being, as well as novel and scalable solutions to mitigate those impacts. PEPH Program priorities include research on associated ecosystem and public health impacts and the discovery of substitute materials that are economical and environmentally benign or restorative.
In its effort to address the diverse challenges related to the global use and accumulation of plastics, the Trienens Institute is bringing together experts from across Northwestern as well as collaborators from academic, civic, NGO, and industrial partner institutions.