Approximately 80% of the >350 Mt of plastics produced annually is turned into waste, which equals 30% of the European electricity consumption. Chemocatalytic strategies giving life to fuels, chemicals, and monomers promise to transform plastic pollution, barely addressed by incineration and mechanical recycling, into an opportunity. Under the motto “catalysis generates plastics and should handle their fate,” this review integrates fundamentals and applications of catalytic transformations of seven major plastics. Following algorithmic analysis of >400 articles and patents, it outlines relevant systems for 13 frontrunner routes based on heterogeneous, homogeneous, and biocatalysis. Given the predominance of off-the-shelf catalysts, it stresses transposable state-of-the-art systems of developed fields to foster design of materials. Based on recent system engineering analyses, it highlights more sustainable paths for implementation, unattended by current trends in industry and academia. It closes with a unified view and critical thoughts on research priorities to accelerate progress toward a sustainable plastic economy.

每年生产的超过 350 公吨的塑料中，约有 80% 变成了废物，相当于欧洲电力消耗的 30%。赋予燃料、化学品和单体生命的化学催化策略有望将几乎无法通过焚烧和机械回收解决的塑料污染转化为机遇。在“催化产生塑料并应处理它们的命运”的座右铭下，本综述整合了七种主要塑料催化转化的基础知识和应用。通过对 400 多篇文章和专利的算法分析，概述了基于多相、均相和生物催化的 13 条领先路线的相关系统。鉴于现成催化剂的优势，它强调已开发领域的可转座的最先进系统，以促进材料设计。根据最近的系统工程分析，它强调了更可持续的实施路径，不受当前工业和学术界趋势的影响。它以关于研究优先事项的统一观点和批判性思想结束，以加快实现可持续塑料经济的进程。