Microplastics and packaging: what we know, what we don't
They are found in the oceans, in the air, in tap water. Microplastics have become a cause for concern, and plastic packaging is often blamed. What we really know fits in a few lines, and what we don't know takes more.
By Tecmom editorial team · 2 min read
What are we talking about?
Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 millimetres. Some are made at that size, like the microbeads long added to cosmetics. Most come from the fragmentation of larger items: washed synthetic textiles, worn tyres, plastic waste degraded by sun and water.
EU law first targeted the former. Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 restricts synthetic polymer microparticles intentionally added to products, defined as particles of 5 mm or less. Microbeads in rinse-off cosmetics have been banned since 17 October 2023; other uses follow, with staggered deadlines.
What WHO says
In 2019, the World Health Organization published its first assessment of microplastics in drinking water. Its conclusion: at the levels observed, the health risk is judged low, but data are scarce and hard to compare, and the smallest particles, those that might cross the gut wall, remain poorly understood.
WHO did not recommend routine monitoring, but more research, and above all reducing plastic pollution at source.
How much packaging contributes
A pack can become a source of microplastics in two ways: as waste, when it fragments in the environment, or through wear of its surfaces during use. The first depends on what happens to packaging after use: collection, sorting, recycling.
For a manufacturer, this translates into concrete requirements: parts with no flash or detachable particles, produced in a controlled environment, and materials that can be recycled. See quality.
What to remember
- Microplastics are everywhere, and packaging is only one source among others.
- Health authorities judge the risk low at measured levels, while recognising large gaps.
- EU law acts first on intentionally added microplastics, then on waste.
See also our article on recycled PET.
On microplastics, honesty means holding two things at once: the risk measured today looks low, and we still know too little. Between the two, reducing waste at source remains the one answer that cannot be wrong.
Glossary
- Microplastic
- A plastic particle smaller than 5 millimetres.
- Microbead
- A small plastic sphere intentionally added to a product, such as a scrub.
- REACH
- The EU regulation on the registration, evaluation and restriction of chemicals.
- Fragmentation
- The breaking up of a plastic item under sun, water or wear.