Sustainability is one of the flagship themes of the UvA. This area is rapidly expanding and of high societal relevance as a result of global challenges in the area of climate change and related environmental issues, the finite nature of a broad range of fossil resources, as well as public policy issues associated with the exploitation and supply of energy, fuels and materials.

Research questions

The following critical research questions are highly relevant for the ISC research activities:

• Can we make the transition to the use of (non-food) biomass as feedstock for the anticipated growth of plastic materials from 400 million tons in 2021 to 1,100 million tons in 2050?* 
• Can we design closed cycles for the sustainable production of sustainable materials (“circular economy”)?
• Can we help to solve some of today’s biggest societal challenges, such as microplastics in our oceans, and can we design better materials to reduce these problems?
• Catalysis is critical to efficient and large scale chemical processes. Can catalysts for making plastics be designed and developed from earth-abundant, cheap and non-toxic metals?
• Can we efficiently use electricity to convert cheap feedstock, such as CO₂, to produce chemicals such as monomers for making plastics?

*Ellen McArthur Foundation (3.5% annual average annual growth until 2050)

The ISC research group is aware that also the “non-technological” aspects of the transition to a circular economy are of great importance. Now that all 193 members of the UN have set the 2030/2050 agenda for Sustainable Development in Paris (December 2015), the question is how we can implement the transformation of our society to a circular one. Cross-sector collaborations have been developed (communication, ecology, (environmental) psychology, etc.).