Areka Rattery, an MPhil Chemistry student in the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, The University of the West Indies (The UWI), Mona, received the Sustainability & Circularity NOW Poster Prize for Best Poster Presentation at the 30th Annual American Chemical Society Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference.

The conference was held from June 15–18, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas, and brought together researchers, industry professionals and students engaged in advancing green chemistry and sustainable technologies.

Rattery presented the poster, “Unpacking Green Claims: A Scientific Assessment of Paper-Based Food Packaging After Styrofoam and Plastic Bans in Jamaica.” The research examines the composition and environmental sustainability of paper-based food packaging introduced in Jamaica following restrictions on selected styrofoam and single-use plastic products.

The work builds on her MSc research in the Food and Agro-Processing Technology programme, which focused on characterising the polymers found in paper-based food packaging used locally. While the original project concentrated primarily on identifying the materials present, Rattery has since expanded the research to critically assess whether these packaging alternatives deliver the environmental benefits suggested by their marketing and labelling.

This new direction was influenced by her participation in the ACS Green Chemistry Institute Green & Sustainable Chemistry Summer School, held in Burlington, Vermont, in July 2025. Her attendance at the summer school was fully funded by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.

The experience introduced her to broader approaches for evaluating sustainability and encouraged her to assess the packaging materials using the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. The expanded research considers recyclability, circularity, life-cycle impacts and the potential for greenwashing—the practice of presenting a product as more environmentally sustainable than the available scientific evidence supports.

Rattery is also conducting Life Cycle Assessments using several software applications to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the production, use and disposal of the packaging materials. The findings are expected to contribute to a future publication.

Her participation in the 2026 ACS Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference was also funded by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. She noted that discussions with leading researchers in green chemistry and sustainable materials further strengthened her understanding of the field and provided valuable perspectives for the continued development of her research.

The research benefited significantly from the analytical support of the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Sciences, which assisted with the analysis of samples collected as part of her MSc thesis.

Rattery also acknowledged the support of the Department of Chemistry, The UWI Mona; the MSc Food and Agro-Processing Technology programme; and her MSc research supervisors, Dr. Vaughn Robin Rattray and Ms. Leslie Hoo Fung.

The conference additionally provided ideas that she plans to incorporate into her current research as an MPhil Chemistry student. Under the supervision of Dr. Peter Nelson, Rattery is developing imine-type electrochemical, colorimetric and fluorescent chemosensors for detecting metal ions, with potential applications in human health and environmental safety.

Her exposure to research on mechanochemistry and solvent-free synthesis at the conference has inspired her to investigate greener methods of chemical synthesis during her PhD studies and throughout her future research career.

Rattery’s achievement highlights the value of international scientific engagement in broadening research perspectives and advancing locally relevant solutions. Her work contributes to important discussions surrounding sustainable packaging, environmental policy and the need for scientific evidence to support green product claims in Jamaica.

Photo caption: Areka Rattery