The access to safe and affordable drinking water for everyone is one of the key goals not yet achieved in many parts of the world. Plastic waste in drinking water sources leads to contamination with microplastics, which have been shown to be present in most analysed water samples across multiple studies (Oßmann 2021). The hazards connected to this issue have not been properly assessed yet, however the recent studies showing presence of microplastic in human blood (Leslie et al. 2022) are alarming and microplastic-free drinking water would be a simple way to avoid potential health issues associated with microplastics. Our proposed bacterial conversion of PET into PCA could potentially be used as one of the steps in wastewater treatment and effectively rid the water of any plastic particles, providing safer drinking water with minimal effort.

The culture of single-use plastics, which are instantly discarded into landfills and often also the environment, is unsustainable and does not take into account the Earth's finite resources (Walker 2021). There is a need to start more effective ways of recycling plastic waste, or better upcycling it into new products with higher value. Turning PET into PCA not only reduces plastic waste, but also produces a chemical with beneficial properties, which is highly valued and can make the process profitable for investors and therefore more likely to be actually implemented.

The downfall of many environmental initiatives is the lack of funds and dependance on financial aid, which is hard to acquire, especially during economic recession. Our proposed system would not only focus on degrading PET, which would be costly and ineffective by itself, but instead it would be further turned into PCA, with high price on the market, thanks to its properties being useful for pharmaceutical and cosmetic products (Hindawi 2014). The innovative process would make PET degradation more sustainable and if used in wastewater treatment, it would provide a simple but efficient step contributing to better water management infrastructure.

Thriving marine ecosystems are an integral part of a healthy environment, which provides food, oxygen and jobs for many people all over the world. Maintaining functional and balanced ecosystems in the oceans is vital for the wellbeing on Earth and is necessary for our sustainable future. Plastic pollution in water is a rising issue threatening the diversity of life under water, which could have unforeseen consequences (Sharma & Chatterjee 2017). Our project and similar projects targeting various types of plastics could together with joint efforts in recycling and responsible consumption, lead to cleaner and more diverse oceans, which would continue providing us with its indispensable resources.