The SMI Hub supports innovation in sustainable plastics and multi-materials, with a particular emphasis on addressing industrially relevant research questions.
Our team is interdisciplinary, with polymer chemists and engineers working alongside economists, social scientists, machine learners and life-cycle assessors to co-create robust solutions for managing plastic from creation to end-of-life.
We believe systems level approaches to explore and assess sustainable solutions are vital, ensuring interventions are socially, economically and environmentally sustainable. We fight against greenwashing, uphold metrology and quality standards, strive for a safe, diverse and equitable laboratory environment, and build international research partnerships to learn from other leaders in plastics recycling and circularity.
We recognise that impact from fundamental research necessitates collaboration with both industry and policy partners, to ensure that best practice and fundamental science leads to change. Our team works with major multi-nationals (Polestar, Bupa, Reckitt Benckiser, Mastercard, Unilever, Waters) and agile innovators (EcoBelt, Pragmatic, Ging, Dsposal, Bloom) to help redefine sustainability in polymer science.
The SMI Hub evolved from Prof. Shaver’s Green Materials Laboratory at the University of Prince Edward Island and the University of Edinburgh.
Historically, we developed sustainable catalysts, biodegradable polymers and responsive materials but have evolved our research efforts to focus around three themes. Their shared goal is to minimise the extraction of raw materials from our planet and eliminate the release of plastics into the environment.
Find out more about each of these at the links below.
Hear about the latest news, opinions and activities from the SMI Hub
