Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

An Overview of Management Status and Recycling Strategies for Plastic Packaging Waste in China

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews Chinese policy and recycling technology for plastic packaging waste, focusing on regulatory frameworks, carbon emissions, and recycling infrastructure rather than microplastic contamination or health risks.

2023 Recycling 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Compare the carbon footprint of traditional packaging and reusable modular packaging in e-commerce: A case study of express in China

This case study compared the carbon footprint of traditional single-use packaging versus reusable modular packaging in Chinese e-commerce, finding that reusable packaging significantly reduces environmental impact. The study supports policy shifts toward reusable packaging in the fast-growing delivery sector.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Electronic Retail of Household Products

A life cycle assessment of online versus in-store shopping for household and cosmetic products found that parcel delivery has significant environmental impacts depending on packaging choices and delivery logistics. While not focused on microplastics, the study addresses plastic packaging as a key driver of environmental cost.

2020 Sustainability 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Study on China’s Plastic Consumption Trend and Sustainable Development Countermeasures

Despite its title referencing plastic consumption, this paper focuses on forecasting China's future plastic demand and proposing policy frameworks for the plastics industry — not on microplastic pollution or health effects. It examines production trends, packaging, construction, and automotive sectors, and is a policy and economics paper rather than a microplastics science paper.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

LCA and Emergy Approach to Evaluate the Environmental Performance of Plastic Bags from Fossil and Renewable Sources with the Function of Conditioning MSW

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it performs a life cycle assessment comparing the environmental impacts of plastic bags made from HDPE, LDPE, and thermoplastic starch for carrying goods and packing municipal waste, focusing on production emissions rather than microplastic pollution.

2024 Sustainability 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastic Pollution in China, an Invisible Threat Exacerbated by Food Delivery Services

This review examines how the explosive growth of online food delivery services in China is driving a major increase in single-use plastic packaging waste. The resulting plastic pollution contributes to microplastic contamination in urban environments, particularly through packaging that is improperly discarded.

2020 Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Mapping Flows, Stocks, Plastic Emissions, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Polyurethanes: Decoding Challenges and Pollution Prevention Pathways in China

Researchers mapped material flows, stocks, plastic emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the polyurethane life cycle, identifying production, use, and end-of-life stages as key hotspots for both microplastic release and carbon emissions.

2025 Environmental Science & Technology 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Spatiotemporal Evolution of the Coupled and Coordinated Development of the Low-carbon Economy, Green Finance, and Ecological Environmental Quality: Evidence from China

Despite its title referencing low-carbon economy and ecological quality, this paper studies the coordinated development of green finance, carbon reduction, and environmental quality indicators across Chinese provinces — not microplastic pollution. It examines regional economic and environmental policy dynamics using statistical modelling, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 1 citations
Article Tier 2

How Effective Is Reverse Cross-Docking and Carbon Policies in Controlling Carbon Emission from the Fashion Industry?

This paper is not about microplastics; it models reverse logistics and carbon policies in the fashion industry to minimize greenhouse gas emissions from returned and excess clothing.

2023 Mathematics 8 citations
Article Tier 2

CO2 Emissions from Plastic Consumption Behaviors in Thailand

This paper is not about microplastics; it surveys plastic consumption behavior in Thai households and estimates the resulting CO2 emissions from end-of-life plastic disposal, focusing on climate change implications.

2023 Sustainability 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Analysis of intention to purchase environmentally friendly packaging in the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil

Despite its title referencing environmentally friendly packaging, this paper is a consumer behavior survey studying what factors drive Brazilians to intend to buy eco-friendly packaging — not original research on microplastic pollution or its effects. It examines environmental concern and personal values as predictors of purchasing decisions and is not directly relevant to microplastic contamination or human health.

2025 Revista de Gestão Ambiental e Sustentabilidade 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Emission of primary microplastics in mainland China: Invisible but not negligible

This study estimated primary microplastic emissions in mainland China from daily plastic product use, including personal care products, industrial pellets, and textiles, finding that significant quantities enter the environment even though these sources are invisible compared to secondary fragmentation of plastic waste. Quantifying primary microplastic emissions is essential for designing targeted reduction strategies.

2019 Water Research 275 citations
Article Tier 2

Toward Economically Efficient Carbon Reduction: Contrasting Greening Plastic Supply Chains with Alternative Energy Policy Approaches

This paper is not directly about microplastics; it compares the carbon-reduction potential and cost-effectiveness of recycled plastics, bioplastics, and virgin plastics within supply chains, finding recycled plastics offer the best low-cost carbon reduction despite quality concerns.

2023 Sustainability 6 citations
Article Tier 2

The Legal dilemmas and pathways for managing plastic waste pollution in China: An assessment of current regulations and a vision for future governance frameworks

This paper systematically analyses the current state of plastic waste legal regulation in China and proposes a framework for future governance, examining how the rapid growth of the e-commerce, express delivery, and food delivery industries has sharply increased plastic product consumption. The authors assess existing regulatory gaps and outline pathways toward more effective and comprehensive plastic waste management law.

2024 Journal of Infrastructure Policy and Development
Article Tier 2

Harm of Delivery Packaging on Environment and Improvements

This paper examines the environmental impacts of excessive delivery packaging waste from the e-commerce boom, calling for packaging reduction, reuse, and use of biodegradable materials. Reducing single-use plastic packaging is one of the most direct ways to decrease the plastic that eventually fragments into microplastics in the environment.

2023 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Unveiling China’s Primary Microplastic Emissions: Supply Chain Dynamics from Multiple Perspectives

Using an economic input-output model that traces supply chains across Chinese provinces, this study estimated primary microplastic emissions from production, consumption, and income perspectives, finding that eastern coastal provinces dominate emissions but that the responsible sector shifts depending on which accounting method is used. Transportation and textiles were the top-emitting sectors under all approaches. This kind of supply-chain analysis is essential for designing effective policy — assigning pollution responsibility to the right actors rather than just the regions where plastic is made.

2026 Journal of Environmental Engineering
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in the atmospheric of the eastern coast of China: different function areas reflecting various sources and transport

Atmospheric sampling at two sites in a Chinese coastal city found microplastics suspended in the air at both downtown and industrial locations, but with different dominant sources — lifestyle and consumer products in the city center versus industrial activity in the industrial zone. The finding that microplastics are transported through the atmosphere confirms that people in urban areas are inhaling plastic particles regardless of proximity to industrial facilities.

2024 Environmental Geochemistry and Health 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Product Packaging by E-commerce Platforms: Impact of COVID-19 and Proposal for Circular Model to Reduce the Demand of Virgin Packaging

Researchers surveyed e-commerce consumers about packaging waste during COVID-19 and proposed a circular model to reduce virgin packaging demand, estimating that the shift to online shopping generated 2,705 kg of CO2 equivalent per metric tonne of mixed packaging waste — with most households discarding rather than recycling packaging.

2022 Circular Economy and Sustainability 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Regionalized Characterization Factors for Microplastic Emissions in Life Cycle Assessment Considering Multimedia Fate Modelling

Researchers developed location-specific impact factors for microplastic emissions to be used in life cycle assessments, accounting for how plastics move between air, water, soil, and sediment. Their model covers nine world regions and shows that the environmental impact of microplastic emissions varies significantly depending on where they are released. The study helps fill a gap in current environmental impact tools, which tend to overlook plastic pollution when comparing products.

2025 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Greening agriculture as a response to climate change: a case study from China over 2000–2021

This paper is not relevant to microplastics research; it assesses green agriculture development and carbon efficiency in China's Qinghai Province from 2000 to 2021 using economic and environmental modeling, with no connection to plastic pollution.

2024 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics in take-out food containers

Scientists collected take-out food containers made from four polymer types in five Chinese cities and detected microplastics in all containers, with fragment counts and polymer compositions varying by container material and city of origin.

2020 Journal of Hazardous Materials 385 citations
Article Tier 2

How accurate is plastic end-of-life modeling in LCA? Investigating the main assumptions and deviations for the end-of-life management of plastic packaging

Researchers reviewed 49 life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on plastic packaging disposal and found that most models oversimplify real-world recycling processes and ignore key factors like plastic additives and microplastic generation. These gaps mean current environmental impact estimates for plastic disposal may significantly understate the true ecological costs.

2023 Sustainable Production and Consumption 40 citations
Article Tier 2

Abundance of microplastics in a typical urban wetland in China: Association with occurrence and carbon storage

Researchers measured microplastic contamination in a Chinese urban wetland and estimated how much carbon the plastic particles contribute to the ecosystem. While microplastic-carbon currently makes up less than 0.3% of total organic carbon in the wetland, projections suggest this could rise to over 4% by 2100 if plastic production trends continue. The study highlights that microplastics are not just pollutants but are also subtly altering the carbon balance of ecosystems.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Insight into the size-resolved markers and eco-health significance of microplastics from typical sources in northwest China

Researchers characterized airborne microplastics and plasticizers emitted from five common sources in northwest China—plastic burning, fruit bag burning, road traffic, agricultural film, and livestock breeding—finding source-specific polymer and chemical profiles in PM2.5 and PM10 fractions.

2025 Atmospheric chemistry and physics