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The concept of plasticology
Summary
This conceptual paper introduces "plasticology" as a proposed interdisciplinary field that integrates the natural sciences, social sciences, and arts to study the full relationship between humans and synthetic plastics in the environment. The authors argue that microplastic and nanoplastic research must include social dimensions — such as behavior patterns and public awareness — alongside chemistry, ecotoxicology, and environmental science to fully understand and address plastic pollution. They highlight art-science collaboration as a potentially valuable tool for building public awareness and monitoring societal responses to plastic contamination.
This chapter proposes and introduces the concept of plasticology - a new, genuinely interdisciplinary approach to the presence of synthetic materials in the environment. It is already commonly accepted that marine microplastics and nanoplastics must be studied considering their chemistry, physics, and surface structure, impact on biota, and ecotoxicity. However, social and human aspects have been less considered so far. To have a truly interdisciplinary approach to this pending problem, one must also include the mutual interaction between humans and plastics that reshaped life on Earth. The chapter concludes that through plasticology, plastics can be helpful in the long-term monitoring of particular social mechanisms and behaviour patterns. Moreover, the crucial role of social awareness and perception of the problem should not be neglected and can be facilitated through art and science collaboration. Finally, the chapter gives some examples of the potential of such collaboration.