Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Exploring Plastic-Management Policy in China: Status, Challenges and Policy Insights

Researchers reviewed China's plastic management policies and found that despite being the world's largest plastic producer, existing regulations remain insufficient, recommending strengthened extended producer responsibility and circular economy approaches to control plastic pollution.

2023 Sustainability 59 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Industry Development and Natural Environment Protection

This paper from China reviews how rising plastic production and improper disposal are increasing microplastic contamination in the environment, threatening both ecological and human health. It calls for improved pollution control strategies and stronger regulatory oversight of the plastic industry.

2020 Nature Environmental Protection 1 citations
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

Impact of Microplastics in the Environment on Human Health and Its Policy Analysis: A Case Study on China

Researchers examined the health impacts of microplastics in China from a health economics and public policy perspective, finding that plastic waste is associated with increased demand for respiratory medicines, likely due to airborne MP release. The paper reviews China's microplastic policy landscape and proposes four improvement areas including targeted monitoring and clearer departmental responsibilities.

2025 Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies
Article Tier 2

A Critical Analysis of the Rising Global Demand of Plastics and its Adverse Impact on Environmental Sustainability

This critical review examined global trends in plastic demand and mismanaged plastic waste, identifying the top contributing countries and evaluating plastic replacement alternatives, arguing that reducing consumption and improving waste management infrastructure are more impactful than material substitution alone.

2021 Journal of Environmental Pollution and Management 32 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic pollution in urban freshwater environments and legislative progress in China: Recommendations and insights

This critical review examines microplastic pollution across urban freshwater environments in China, synthesizing findings on contamination levels, sources, and ecological effects in a context of rapid urbanization affecting over 800 million urban residents. The authors review legislative progress and provide recommendations for improving monitoring standards, reducing plastic inputs, and aligning Chinese policy with international frameworks.

2020 Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 75 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

Looking for a Chinese solution to global problems: The situation and countermeasures of marine plastic waste and microplastics pollution governance system in China

This study analyzed China's marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution governance system, examining policy frameworks across blue economy development, plastics industry reform, and public health awareness, while proposing countermeasures to curb marine pollution intensification.

2021 Chinese Journal of Population Resources and Environment 45 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Progressing Towards Environmental Health Targets in China: A Systematic Review of Achievements in Air and Water Pollution under the “Ecological Civilization and the Beautiful China” Dream

This systematic review summarizes China's progress in reducing air and water pollution under its environmental health initiatives. The findings are relevant to microplastic concerns because China is a major producer and consumer of plastics, and the review highlights how industrial pollution, including plastic waste, creates widespread environmental contamination with direct consequences for public health.

2020 Research Square (Research Square)
Article Tier 2

The contamination of microplastics in China's aquatic environment: Occurrence, detection and implications for ecological risk

This review summarized microplastic contamination across marine environments, freshwater systems, and wastewater treatment plants in China, one of the world's top plastic-producing countries. The study highlights that research on how microplastics transfer between connected water environments remains lacking, and the microscale toxicity of microplastics is still poorly understood.

2021 Environmental Pollution 91 citations
Article Tier 2

Current research and perspective of microplastics (MPs) in soils (dusts), rivers (lakes), and marine environments in China

This review synthesized a decade of Chinese research on microplastic concentrations in soils, rivers, lakes, and marine environments, finding that coastal and urban areas are most contaminated and that freshwater environments are understudied compared to marine ones. China, as the world's largest plastic producer, faces significant microplastic pollution challenges requiring systematic monitoring across all environmental compartments.

2020 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 53 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review on the sources and instruments of marine microplastics and prospects on the relevant management in China

This critical review examined sources, distribution, and monitoring instruments for marine microplastics in China, identifying key knowledge gaps and proposing management strategies to address the country's significant contribution to global ocean plastic pollution.

2018 Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy 157 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Plasticulture in Chinese Agriculture: a Review of Challenges and Routes to Achieving Long-term Food and Ecosecurity

This review examines the challenges of plasticulture in Chinese agriculture, where macro-, micro-, and nanoplastic pollution from mulch films threatens long-term soil health and crop production. The authors propose holistic solutions targeting plastic production, use, and waste management to protect food security.

2023 Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering 4 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

Study on the Spatial Pattern of the Carbon Footprint of China’s E-Commerce Express Packaging Considering Embodied Carbon Transfer

Despite its title referencing e-commerce packaging, this paper studies the carbon footprint of China's express delivery packaging industry — not microplastic pollution. It quantifies CO2 emissions across the packaging lifecycle and traces carbon transfers between provinces, finding that plastic packaging generates roughly twice the upstream emissions of paper packaging. This paper is not relevant to microplastics or human health.

2025 Sustainability 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste and a Circular Economy in China

This review examines China's plastic waste management challenges and the country's progress toward implementing circular economy principles for plastic recovery and recycling. As one of the world's largest plastic producers and consumers, China's plastic waste policies have major global implications for the amount of plastic that ultimately becomes microplastics.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

China’s regulatory respond to plastic pollution: Trends and trajectories

Analysis of 231 plastic-related Chinese government policies from 2000 to 2021 revealed increasing regulatory attention to plastic pollution with a shift from general waste management toward specific single-use plastic restrictions after 2020. The findings highlight China moving toward more targeted plastic governance despite its large contribution to global ocean plastic.

2022 Frontiers in Marine Science 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Forecasting global plastic production and microplastic emission using advanced optimised discrete grey model

Researchers used advanced mathematical models to forecast future global plastic production and microplastic emissions. Their projections suggest that both production and emissions will continue rising significantly in the coming decades if current trends hold. The study provides policymakers with quantitative predictions that could help guide strategies for reducing plastic pollution.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 16 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

Connotation and Implementation Paths of High-Quality Development of Light Industries in China

This paper analyzes the development path of China's light industries — including food, textiles, and consumer goods — and how they can achieve high-quality, sustainable growth. The discussion of production patterns and waste reduction is relevant to understanding the industrial origins of plastic pollution in China, one of the world's largest plastic producers.

2023 Strategic Study of CAE 1 citations