Blog
Spotlight on the latest blogs from across the Institute on our blog site.
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Still trash? UK flexible plastic packaging recycling and infrastructural contraction
Sustainable Consumption Institute
12 December 2025
Torik Holmes examines the increasing prevalence of flexible plastic packaging and its limited recyclability to argue for urgent, coordinated UK policy reforms.
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“We need to show people that there is a place for them in this transition”: reflection on Green Jobs and Skills public talk
Sustainable Consumption Institute
28 November 2025
On 6 November 2025, experts held a panel discussion on green jobs and skills as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, debating the urgent need to redefine ‘green jobs’ and coordinate local efforts to build a truly inclusive green workforce.
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SCI’s 2025 Conference Round-Up: Turbulence, Crisis & Disruption in Sustainability Research
Sustainable Consumption Institute
21 November 2025
The 2025 conference season is coming to a close. Here’s a look back at where SCI members have been sharing their research this year.
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What We Learned from The Making Room Fair
Tetyana Solovey
11 November 2025
Tetyana Solovey discusses how the repair and remaking of clothing can be fun, useful, and surprisingly easy to learn.
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Why the World Needs a Fossil Fuel Treaty: Building a Fast and Fair Transition
Sustainable Consumption Institute
16 October 2025
Yusra Suedi and Clare Cummings explore the Fossil Fuel Treaty as a potential roadmap toward a fast and fair energy transition.
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One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Reflections on the role of Optimism and Pessimism in taking action on Sustainability
Sustainable Consumption Institute
10 October 2025
Sam Toscano, Sandra Barragan, Tetyana Solovey and Usman Aziz on emotion, trust and the concept of ‘anti-governance’ in discussions about sustainable futures.
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No room for waste – unlocking the potential of landfill mining
Sustainable Consumption Institute
5 September 2025
Pawan Srikanth and Daniel Welch explore how legacy landfill sites across the UK offer pathways for the UK’s net zero and circular economy goals.
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Not Quite a Guide: Reflecting on my Research Visit to SCI
Sustainable Consumption Institute
18 July 2025
Jacob Moody (Maastricht University) on social capital in academia and challenges of interdisciplinary work
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PGR Mini-Symposium of the Plant-Human Research Network: Ecological Grief, Multispecies Kinship, and the Politics of Vegetal Life
Sustainable Consumption Institute
4 July 2025
Scott Backrath and Teodora Noszkay discussing Plant-human Research network and creative, critical, and relational approaches to understanding the natural world.
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Legal Frontlines in the Climate Crisis: Insights from the University of Manchester’s Environmental Activism Workshop
Sustainable Consumption Institute
20 June 2025
Yusra Suedi and Clare Cummings reflect on the potential - and the limits - of the law as a tool for climate justice in the face of escalating protest restrictions and environmental threats.
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Rethinking Care: Sociological Perspectives from the Classroom
Sustainable Consumption Institute
9 May 2025
Students from the UoM's new MA “Science, Sustainability and Society” explore today’s sustainability issues.
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“We want to build capacity for citizens to research and propose what works best for them and to advocate on their own behalf”: JUST Centre Interview
Tetyana Solovey
29 April 2025
Sherilyn MacGregor, Mat Paterson, and Helen Holmes on the ‘Joined-Up Sustainability Transformations’ approach
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Who holds the power? The state, corporations, and the regulatory turn in governance
Sustainable Consumption Institute
8 April 2025
Nedson Ng'oma reflecting on regulatory approaches to human rights and environment due diligence in global value chain
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Repair Week in Action: Fashion Activism, Upcycling, and Sustainable Solutions
Sustainable Consumption Institute
4 March 2025
Tetyana Solovey, marking Repair Week, discussing the role of makers and upcyclers in solving fashion industry problems.
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Community or Corporate Control? Insights on Luke Yates’ “Platform Politics”
Tetyana Solovey
6 February 2025
Mingwei Zhang, Wangshu Liu and Guyeon Kang on the politics of digital platforms
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Possible Other Worlds: How imagination enable, shape and constrain social and political transformation
Tetyana Solovey
31 January 2025
The roundtable ‘Political Imaginaries of Sustainability’ examines whether these imaginaries act as obstacles or opportunities for sustainability transitions
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“What is a good climate change society?” SCI Annual Lecture by Harriet Bulkeley
Tetyana Solovey
6 December 2024
Harriet Bulkeley discussed the practices and politics of nature-based solutions in addressing issues within urban environments.
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SCI’s 2024 Conference Roundup: From Green Energy to Inclusive Sustainability
Sustainable Consumption Institute
25 October 2024
As the 2024 conference season comes to a close, we are excited to present a round-up of the events in which SCI members participated.
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Exploring Disruptions in Green Energy Transitions
Sustainable Consumption Institute
15 October 2024
Sandra Barragán and Matthew Paterson discuss the outcomes of a workshop on key disruptions and future research pathways in green energy transitions.
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A raised platform – regulating the digital economy
Sustainable Consumption Institute
15 October 2024
Luke Yates outlines the impacts of digital economy platforms on housing and employment and proposes policy changes in this area.
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