On Saturday, March 26, 2022, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the 1st Annual World Plastics Summit, in connection with Monaco Ocean Week, held at the Novotel Monte Carlo Hotel.

According to a press release via the WPS the summit:

“…aims to assemble an international community of researchers, technology developers, multinational companies, and global policymakers to accelerate the science and engineering of plastics recycling, upcycling, and redesign. The Summit is being chaired by Professor John McGeehan from the University of Portsmouth and Dr. Gregg Beckham, CEO of the BOTTLE Consortium, with support from Lady Oxana Girko, Mr. Oleg Novachuck, and the Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco.

Professor McGeehan, who is director of the University’s Centre for Enzyme Innovation, said: ‘The plastics pollution crisis is one of the most urgent challenges of our time. While plastic pollution is a global problem, research and innovation in this area are not yet globally connected. While there are pockets of excellence worldwide, and several consortia have emerged in the last few years, much more can be achieved through global connection, data sharing, and collaboration towards this common goal.

‘The Principality of Monaco is internationally recognized as a neutral ground for successful diplomacy and cooperation, and with the strong commitment of H.S.H. Prince Albert II to sustainable development programs globally, this is the perfect location to host this inaugural world summit.’ “

The three-day summit will cover topics including understanding the scope of the plastics problem and the issues from a carbon, energy, economic, and pollution perspective, the use of new chemical and biological catalysis to break down today’s plastics and upcycle them, and the use of new and existing building blocks to produce plastics that are recyclable by design.