FT Rethink

Chemical recycling: the end of plastic waste?

The world is choking on plastic waste. Less than nine per cent of it is recycled, but an emerging industry promises to change all that. The FT’s Charlotte Middlehurst discovers how chemical recycling - separating complex waste back into its original components, to be used over and over again - could create a so-called “circular economy” for plastic.


As the world changes at lightning speed, the FT Rethink series explores how to navigate transformative shifts shaping the future, from geopolitics and climate to industry, energy and health. The channel alternates between independent reporting from FT journalists and business perspectives from Lombard Odier.

Circular, lean, inclusive and clean

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FT Channels, a partnership destination that combines impactful and enriching multimedia content to spark curiosity and encourage discovery. Each vertical brings expert insights from the Financial Times and our Partners into the most pressing issues of our time.

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FT Rethink

FT Channels, a partnership destination that combines impactful and enriching multimedia content to spark curiosity and encourage discovery. Each vertical brings expert insights from the Financial Times and our Partners into the most pressing issues of our time.


As the world changes at lightning speed, the FT Rethink series explores how to navigate transformative shifts shaping the future, from geopolitics and climate to industry, energy and health. The channel alternates between independent reporting from FT journalists and business perspectives from Lombard Odier.