Microplastics: Big problem, but real solutions are coming to Akron | Editorial

Positive environmental news is undoubtedly hard to come by.

But after an exemplary showing by public and private sectors alike, residents of Akron last week received a piece of good environmental news coming right from our backyards.

The federal government earmarking $51 million in funding for the Akron Sustainable Polymers Tech Hub to develop and produce more sustainable rubber and plastics is a significant feat. It not only will bring jobs and economic benefit to our region, but also has potential to contribute real solutions to problems that are both global and unprecedented in scope.

The implications for this funding are profound.

First, it demonstrates what successful bipartisan collaboration looks like. The effort was championed by U.S. Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, who specifically chose to serve on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology to bring this opportunity to the region.

She, along with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and a bipartisan group of Congress members, have shown what can be achieved when politicians put their egos and the spotlight aside to best support their districts.

This funding also signals a revitalization of Akron’s manufacturing sector, creating or retaining more than 4,000 jobs and spurring innovative vocational and educational opportunities.

But perhaps most exciting is the cluster’s “laser-focus on sustainability,” as explained by Brian Anderson, who serves as the cluster’s vice president.

Pollution is a global challenge as vast as it is daunting, and synthetic materials such as plastics are of particular concern.

Despite only having been popular for less than a century, plastic has overtaken waterways and other ecosystems. As it breaks down, it becomes tiny particles known as microplastics that can enter human bodies — a trend researchers are already observing at an alarming rate.

It’s an overwhelming problem, to be sure, but the polymer cluster is starting in the right place: Tires.

This symbol of the region’s heritage just so happens to also be a significant source of pollution, especially as the tires, now made partially with synthetic materials, abrade as well as break down in the environment.

The projects being funded tackle tire pollution from multiple angles, from incentivizing tire recycling to developing sustainable polymer composites and less toxic tire antidegradants, which ultimately end up in our environment. (Goodyear has said it strives to have a 100% sustainable tire by 2030.)

Beginning with tires in our sustainability initiatives is both impactful and symbolic. It sends a powerful message that we changed global industry once when we were the tire capital of the world, and we are here to show we can do it again – and now, with the added benefit of hindsight, we can pursue it in a more mindful way. The federal government’s investment into the region indicates that it agrees.

And this funding is just the beginning, as cluster leaders expect it to be a catalyst for more money and opportunity in the region.

We urge those leaders to keep that momentum going by identifying more areas of opportunity where regional players can create meaningful change on a global scale.

But we also applaud the work they’ve already done to both address issues of people living here today and deliver hope to the generations of tomorrow.