Remembrance poppy transformed to become plastic-free

UCL researchers help create new plastic-free Remembrance poppy - New plastic-free Remembrance poppy. Credit: Royal British Legion. Scientists at UCL have worked with the Royal British Legion to assess a new plastic-free Remembrance poppy, finding that it produces 40% less carbon emissions over its lifetime. The Royal British Legion has been developing the plastic-free poppy for the last three years, in collaboration with expert partners, in efforts to reduce its use of single-use plastic and be economical, sustainable, and less impactful to the environment. Researchers from UCL's Department of Chemical Engineering were brought in to assess the environmental impact of the new poppy and ensure its sustainability, through a process known as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The LCA group, led by Professor Paola Lettieri and Dr Andrea Paulillo, is internationally renowned for its work in LCA applied to energy and waste management systems, spanning from plastic waste reduction to nuclear waste reprocessing. Dr Andrea Paulillo (UCL Chemical Engineering), who was involved in the Life Cycle Assessment, said: "Removing plastics from a product is not automatically good for the environment, sometimes they are the best choice.