Global Map of Microplastics

Microplastics are a pervasive environmental pollutant affecting wildlife, ecosystem, and human health. Microplastics can be consumed at all trophic levels and transmitted along the food chain, resulting in numerous long-term detrimental impacts on wildlife and ecosystems across the world. The amount of research investigating such impacts has been increasing over the years. We have gone through recent, state of the art research that has been done on microplastic impacts on wildlife in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and summarize some of the main points in this blog. (Micro)plastic pollution is a complex global issue, affecting ecosystems, wildlife, and human health around the world. Understanding the inputs and fluxes of microplastic pollution across environmental compartments and ecosystems provides a critical foundation for effective policymaking and environmental management. By taking action against (micro)plastic pollution and transitioning towards a more sustainable and circular economy, numerous potentials and advantages can be identified, including measurable contributions towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

One of the main sources of direct microplastic entry into the environment is through the wearing and washing of synthetic textiles. This accounts for approximately 35% of the microplastics entering the global marine environment every year, amounting to between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes. There are multiple pathways and options to target the unintentional release of microplastics from textiles, from the design through to the use and disposal, that must be considered. The European Commission has identified the textile value chain as a key priority in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and proposed key actions and measures that are set to be finalized by the end of this year. This blog will provide an overview of issues related to the synthetic textiles, the proposed pathways to target unintentional microplastic release, along with the associated challenges that must be addressed.