Navigating regulatory complexities: Challenges and shifting problem framings in turning microplastics into a European policy object

Microplastic pollution is not only a scientific challenge but also a social and political one.This paper examines the evolving interplay between scientific evidence, public concern, and European regulatory action.Tracing how microplastics moved from a peripheral observation to a central environmental issue, we show how sociotechnical processes, instruments, standards, economic interests, and regulatory institutions co-constitute the problem itself-shaping which interventions become possible and which remain out of reach.By mapping the dynamic relationships among innovation logics, societal framings, scientific research, policymaking, and environmental challenges, the study seeks to support better alignment among scientists, regulators, and stakeholders in measurement, mitigation, and governance.The broader contribution is twofold.First, the article offers a framework for understanding sciencepolicy relations beyond the linear model in which science delivers neutral "facts" (often labelled evidence) and policymakers act upon them.It demonstrates that accumulating more data is insufficient without addressing the social and political forces that determine which evidence is produced, recognized, and translated into action that are deemed plausible and feasible.Second, the study provides lessons for governing future innovations within the plastic domain (e.g., replacement materials) and beyond.By foregrounding the innovation residues and their long-term consequences, it argues for more anticipatory and residue-aware innovation pathways, ones that embed responsibility, continuous monitoring, and adaptive governance from the outset, so that today's solutions do not become tomorrow's persistent problems.