Plastic to Prototype: Can Microbes Help Build Sustainable Cities?

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Due to the emissions generated throughout its life cycle, plastic dominates headlines.Plastic, like cement, remains essential for modern society.Plastic supports packaging, healthcare, and technology, whereas cement is fundamental for building infrastructure.The cement industry is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions due to the high-temperature production process and the chemical decomposition of limestone during clinker formation.The plastic industry generates emissions through the extraction of fossil fuels, plastic production, transportation, and the disposal or incineration of plastic waste, all of which release global greenhouse gas (GHG).Both sectors remain formidable contributors to the GHG narrative, underscoring the need for sustainable production methods, improved recycling, and cleaner technologies to reduce their environmental impact.Plastics alone contributed approximately 3.4% of total GHG emissions, equivalent to 1.8 gigatonnes (Gt), in 2019, 1 and this is projected to triple by 2050.Likewise, the cement industry, one of the most difficult-to-decarbonize sectors, remains a significant emitter, contributing to 1.57 billion t of CO 2 release in 2023.Globally, plastic production reached an alarming 435 million tonnes (Mt) in 2020, generating 353 Mt of plastic waste with approximately 140 Mt accumulating in aquatic ecosystems.By 2040, an increase of 70% global plastic production and use is predicted.2 Plastic bioaccumulation has led to the development of the plastisphere, which harbors antibiotic-resistant pathogens, making it an impending global health hazard.3 Similarly, global cement production has already surged to 2.8 billion t annually and is increasing toward the 4 billion t mark.From this standpoint, successfully reaching the Paris Agreement targets of limiting warming to less than 2 °C by 2050 depends on quickly and comprehensively reducing carbon emissions in these critical industries.It is high time to shift focus toward the second-largest end user of plastic, the building and construction sector.To this end, we strongly feel that the use of a virgin polymer in construction should be curtailed, which, however, seems like wishful thinking in the current scenario, or some alternative material should be found to reinforce construction to create a carbon-negative built environment.What is needed is a futuristic approach that

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