Over 200 different polymers and plastics are used in the production and manufacture of industrial products. They are not necessarily part of the final product and thus not identified on the packaging (
primary microplastics).
From our everyday lives, we are already familiar with terms that describe what is not immediately visible. The
virtual water of a product is a typical example. In our German
download section you can find a fact check on this.
Another term that is directly linked to our lives and is increasingly coming into focus in the course of climate discussions, is the CO2 footprint.
So now - the microplastics footprint. With this, we would like to close communication and action gaps in the field of microplastics. Because the microplastics footprint makes a calculation, which does not exist so far in such a way. With it, we calculate the
total input of microplastics into the environment caused by a product - from the start of production to the end of its life cycle. I.e. until the product either becomes a new use product (recycling) or is incinerated.
This is the equation:
primary microplastics + virtual microplastics = microplastics footprint.