Sustainable Polyolefin Science: A Two-Voice Perspective toward a Shared Academic-Industrial Vision

Polyolefins have shaped modern society, but their future requires a fundamental shift in how they are designed, produced, used, and reused/recycled. This perspective, written as a two-voice contribution from academia and industry, examines how decades of scientific understanding enabled the rapid expansion of polyolefin applications. The proposed view is a system-level framework for polyolefin science, integrating catalysts, polymerization, formulation, processing, and end-of-life strategies. These elements are treated as strongly interconnected across the material life cycle, rather than as isolated domains. Today, sustainability challenges demand rethinking the traditional course of innovation by explicitly incorporating end-of-life considerations such as recyclability, reuse, and material recovery into early stages of application design. We argue that future progress still demands academic-industrial cooperation and hinges on coupling molecular, mesoscopic, and process scales, integrating digital and machine-learning tools with physical modeling and redesigning additives, composites, and recycling strategies with a circular mindset. Equally essential is the societal dimension: improved waste management, efficient collection systems, and improved educational paradigms for the next generation of scientists. By bridging fundamental insight into industrial practice, polyolefin science can evolve toward predictive, data-driven, and truly sustainable material design.