We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
How is Sustainable Management of Plastic Possible?
Original title: Wie ist ein nachhaltiger Umgang mit Plastik möglich?
AI summary Read the abstract
This German-language paper presents the PlastX research group's interdisciplinary approach to understanding plastic as a systemic environmental risk, covering microplastics, marine litter, packaging, and bioplastics. Researchers argue that addressing the plastic problem requires analysing the full social, technical, and ecological system rather than any single component.
Zusammenfassung Stellt Plastik ein Risiko für unsere Umwelt dar? Wie finden wir einen besseren Umgang mit einem Material, das so viele Bereiche unseres Alltags durchdrungen hat? Mit diesen und weiteren Fragen beschäftigt sich die inter- und transdisziplinär arbeitenden Nachwuchsgruppe „PlastX – Plastik in der Umwelt als systemisches Risiko“. Der Beitrag stellt die unterschiedlichen Forschungsfelder (Mikroplastik, Meeresmüll, Verpackungen und Bioplastik) vor. Der Ansatz der systemischen Risiken wird als integrative Perspektive diskutiert.
More Papers Like This
A multidisciplinary perspective on the role of plastic pollution in the triple planetary crisis.
AI summary Read the abstract
This perspective paper argues that plastics are a central driver of all three dimensions of the planetary crisis — pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss — and must be addressed with the same urgency as carbon emissions. The authors call for a multidisciplinary approach that recognizes plastics as a systemic environmental threat rather than a siloed waste management issue.
Plastic Pollution and Ecosystem Health: Sources, Pathways, Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers synthesized current knowledge on plastic pollution across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, tracing source pathways from industrial and domestic activities through fragmentation into microplastics and nanoplastics, and mapping impacts including trophic transfer, chemical toxicity, and biodiversity loss.
Plastic Pollution and Ecosystem Health: Sources, Pathways, Impacts, and Mitigation Strategies
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how plastics from industrial, domestic, agricultural, and transport sources enter terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems via runoff, rivers, wastewater, and atmospheric deposition, fragment into increasingly mobile microplastics and nanoplastics, and drive biodiversity impacts through ingestion, chemical toxicity, and trophic transfer — identifying research gaps and calling for integrated policy and technological responses.
System innovation and life cycle thinking in packaging value chain: the circularity of plastics.
AI summary Read the abstract
This paper examines the role of circular economy principles in reducing plastic packaging waste, noting that despite existing recycling systems, plastics remain pervasive environmental contaminants. The authors argue that redesigning packaging systems for recyclability and reducing over-packaging are essential steps to address microplastic pollution at its source.
PLASTIC: A Comprehensive Overview of Polymer Traits, Environmental Impacts, and Future Technological Solutions.
AI summary Read the abstract
This review pulls together existing research on different types of plastics—how they're made, how they behave, and why they stick around in the environment for so long (hint: it's about their chemical structure). It highlights the growing problem of microplastics contaminating our air, water, and food, while also exploring promising solutions like plant-based bioplastics that could break down naturally instead of persisting in our bodies and ecosystems. The big takeaway: understanding plastic at a molecular level could help us design smarter alternatives, rather than just cutting back on plastic use.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.