05 May 2023
The University hosts exclusive public screening of the documentary ‘Plastic Warriors’
Plastic has become omnipresent, contaminating our rivers, oceans, land and even the air we breathe.
On Wednesday, 3 May, The University of Manchester hosted an exclusive public screening of the documentary ‘Plastic Warriors’, exploring the extent of plastic pollution through a series of case studies, interviewing experts and activists across the UK.
Contributions from scientists active in this field, including Professor Jamie Woodward, Professor James Rothwell, and Dr Rachel Hurley, from The University of Manchester, evidenced the devastating impact that the proliferation of plastic and microplastic in our day-to-day lives – and the inadequate infrastructure and appetite to manage it sustainably – is having on our world.
“700 marine animal species face extinction due to plastic pollution.”
Taking the audience on a journey around the UK from deep sea coral reefs, basking shark hotspots and seabird colonies to our homes and cities, the film documents critical dangers and shines a light on campaigners, innovators and designers working towards solutions.
“Keeping microplastics out of rivers is key to tackling the marine microplastic problem.”
Department of Geography research on the rivers around Greater Manchester illustrated how rivers are a major supplier of microplastics to the oceans.
“Britons can consume 5000 tiny particles of plastic every week… the equivalent in mass of a credit card.”
Following the screening, Jamie Woodward chaired an audience Q&A with filmmakers, Director Mike Wafer and Producer Poppy Chandler. Discussion explored how despite an increasing ‘bad press’, plastic is now so interwoven into our everyday commodities, clothing, and even our period products that the challenge to eliminate it requires more than consumer power, it calls for immediate large-scale government legislation, international cooperation, and action.
Dr Julian Skyrme, Director of Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester concluded the evening by thanking everyone, and highlighting how Manchester is one of the world’s leading research institutions and the UK’s only university to have social responsibility as a core goal, playing a leading role in tackling the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The University is currently the leading institution in Europe in tackling SDG 14: Life Below Water.
The event was supported by Sustainable Futures and Social Responsibility.
More information
The University’s actions towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
Plastic Warriors documentary and actions
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