Recyclable and Sustainable Polymers: Toward a Circular Economy

Dear Colleagues,

The transition toward recyclable and sustainable polymers is a pivotal component in advancing the circular economy, aiming to address the environmental challenges posed by conventional plastics. Recent research has focused on innovative methods such as enzymatic depolymerization, chemical recycling, and advanced mechanical upcycling to enable closed-loop systems, where polymers are reused without significant degradation of properties. Studies have highlighted polylactic acid (PLA) and other bioplastics for their potential in creating biodegradable alternatives to traditional plastics, while others investigate the integration of renewable bioresources, such as natural fibers and waste-derived composites, for high-value applications. Key technological advancements also include the use of dynamic covalent chemistry, microbial degradation of engineering plastics, and enzymatic processes for breaking down complex polymers such as polycarbonates. Furthermore, life cycle assessment (LCA) and policy-driven frameworks are becoming crucial to ensuring that these solutions are truly sustainable and scalable. Collectively, these efforts illustrate a broad and multidisciplinary approach that merges material science, biotechnology, and industrial ecology to drive sustainable polymer production and recycling within the context of a circular economy.

Dr. Shakila Parveen Asrafali
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.