Initiatives to Address Plastic Pollution

Atlanta, GA
July 31, 2019

The International Space Station (ISSInternational Space Station) U.S. National Laboratory held its second annual sustainability workshop during the July 2019 ISSR&D Conference in Atlanta. The objective was to discuss how technology development on the ISS can uniquely contribute to industry actions addressing plastic pollution in the environment. Participants from 13 invited organizations attended, representing several economic sectors: sports, aerospace, technology, agricultural sciences, retail, advanced computing, environmental, space, government research, and technology innovation. Ideas discussed focused on remote sensing applications and the use of microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. to study the production of environmentally friendly biopolymers that offer the potential of an alternative to nondegradable plastics. This report highlights and expands on the ideas presented and the options discussed for further action.

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