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Mind the fragmentation gap
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Researchers highlight a critical oversight in global plastic pollution policy: even if new plastic production were halted, legacy plastics already in the environment will continue fragmenting into secondary microplastics for decades. They term this ongoing flux the "fragmentation gap" and argue it is currently overlooked in Global Plastics Treaty targets. The study calls for additional mitigation measures to address this persistent and growing source of microplastic pollution.
The Global Plastics Treaty presents an opportunity to “end plastic pollution”. Legacy plastics will continue to fragment to secondary microplastics for decades, without additional mitigation measures. We identify this flux as a “fragmentation gap”, currently overlooked in global policy targets.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.