Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

The rate of use of the Circular Economy in individual sectors

Not relevant to microplastics — this paper reviews the adoption of circular economy principles across industrial sectors within the European Union policy framework, without specific focus on plastic pollution.

2023 Acta Montanistica Slovaca 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Monitor circulaire plastics. Methodologie en nulmeting

Researchers developed a methodology and baseline measurement for a circular plastics monitor in the Netherlands, establishing quantitative indicators to track progress toward a circular plastic value chain and enabling repeat measurements over time.

2025 TNO Repository
Article Tier 2

An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy

Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.

2025 Journal of Green Economy and Low-Carbon Development
Article Tier 2

Global Material Flow of Macro‐ and Microplastics to Support a Circular Economy

Researchers developed a global material flow analysis of macro- and microplastics to identify where intervention efforts can best support a circular economy. The study found that current plastic waste reduction initiatives are often misaligned with the most impactful leverage points in the plastic material cycle.

2025 Journal of Advanced Manufacturing and Processing
Meta Analysis Tier 1

Developing Traceability Systems for Effective Circular Economy of Plastic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis pools data from multiple studies on traceability systems that track plastic through its lifecycle, from production to recycling. Better tracking of plastics could reduce waste and microplastic pollution by improving recycling quality and keeping more plastic out of the environment.

2024 Sustainability 25 citations
Article Tier 2

The Use of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Creating a Roadmap Towards a Circular Economy for Plastics

This paper examines how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help transition the plastics industry toward a circular economy. AI tools can optimize recycling processes, predict material degradation, and identify opportunities to reduce plastic waste before it enters the environment.

2023 International Journal on Recent and Innovation Trends in Computing and Communication 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategic pathways for sustainable plastic management through a circular economy approach in India

This paper analyzed strategic pathways for sustainable plastic waste management in India through a circular economy lens, examining the environmental and health risks posed by microplastics from inadequate plastic disposal. The authors identify policy, infrastructure, and behavioral interventions needed to reduce India's microplastic burden.

2025 Discover Sustainability
Article Tier 2

A Comparative Bibliometric Analysis on Plastic Waste Recycling

This bibliometric study maps ten years of global research on plastic waste recycling and circular economy using Scopus and Web of Science, identifying dominant themes, leading countries, and emerging directions. It is primarily a research-landscape analysis with minimal direct content on microplastic formation or health risks, making it only peripheral to microplastic science.

2023 International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning 6 citations
Article Tier 2

An Examination of Microplastics: Environmental Impact, Sustainability, and Recyclability Innovation

This paper examined the environmental impact of microplastics, sustainability implications of current plastic use, and recycling options to address the plastic pollution crisis. It called for a transition toward circular economy approaches that reduce primary plastic production and increase recycled content.

2024 Journal of Student Research
Article Tier 2

System innovation and life cycle thinking in packaging value chain: the circularity of plastics.

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.

2020 AMS Dottorato Institutional Doctoral Theses Repository (University of Bologna) 2 citations
Review Tier 2

Recycling and Reusing Strategies to Prevent Microplastic Generation: a Review

This review examines recycling and reusing strategies for plastic materials as a means of preventing microplastic generation, grounding the analysis in circular economy principles emphasizing resource efficiency through repair, reuse, and recycling. The authors evaluate current methodologies and propose strategies to reduce plastic waste degradation into microplastics, linking waste management practices to pollution prevention outcomes.

2025 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

New Policy Framework for Effective Managing Microplastic in Circular System Form Plastic Product Manufacturing to Waste Treatment Facility

Researchers proposed a new policy framework for microplastic management by analyzing the full circular system of plastic -- from raw material production through consumption to waste treatment -- and examining microplastic waste at the final disposal stage. Applying the framework to the Korean waste management system demonstrated that the proposed circular system approach improves upon current microplastic management schemes.

2024 Preprints.org 1 citations
Article Tier 2

A Circular Economy of Plastics: A vision of redesigning plastics value chains

This discussion paper outlines a vision for a circular plastics economy in which plastics are designed for reuse, recycling, and bio-based feedstocks rather than single use and disposal. A true circular economy for plastics would dramatically reduce the amount that fragments into microplastics in the environment.

2020 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Life cycle assessment and circular economy in conjunction with treatment methodologies: Presentation and critical comparison between different food industry waste

This review applies life cycle assessment and circular economy principles to multiple food industry sectors to evaluate environmental trade-offs in processing and packaging. While not focused on microplastics specifically, it provides analytical tools applicable to assessing plastic packaging impacts across food supply chains.

2020 GSC Advanced Research and Reviews 4 citations
Article Tier 2

From Circularity to Spirality: An Integrated, Systems-Level Approach to Address the Plastics Problem

This paper introduces the concept of spirality as a more realistic alternative to perfect circular recycling of plastics, acknowledging that plastic quality inevitably degrades with each recycling cycle. Rather than focusing on a single health or environmental finding, it proposes a systems-level framework combining materials science, life cycle assessment, and economics to guide better recycling strategies. Reducing overall plastic waste through smarter design and tiered recycling could lower the amount of microplastic pollution entering the environment.

2025 Journal of the American Chemical Society 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Current Status of Circular Economy Research in Finland

This review surveys the state of circular economy research in Finland, covering academic, policy, and industry perspectives on transitioning away from the linear 'take-make-dispose' model. Circular economy principles are increasingly relevant to addressing plastic waste and microplastic pollution.

2021 Resources 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Designing a circular economy learning environment: Topinpuisto learning platform

This master's thesis focused on improving the learning platform of Topinpuisto, a Finnish circular economy hub, by redesigning its user interface and backend processes. It is an educational technology and circular economy design project with no direct connection to microplastic research.

2020 Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen)
Article Tier 2

Strategies for efficient management of microplastics to achieve life cycle assessment and circular economy

This review examines strategies for managing microplastic waste through a circular economy and life cycle assessment (LCA) lens, arguing that current recycling practices and waste disposal methods are inadequate given the sheer volume of plastics entering ecosystems. The authors propose a conceptual framework integrating LCA principles into microplastic management to better quantify ecological risks and guide more sustainable plastic use policies.

2023 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 9 citations
Article Tier 2

A critical review of microplastic degradation and material flow analysis towards a circular economy

This critical review examined microplastic degradation processes and applied material flow analysis to understand plastic waste streams toward a circular economy. The study highlights that microplastics are particularly threatening due to their high mobility, ease of ingestion by wildlife, and ability to carry toxic contaminants, and identifies key intervention points in the plastic life cycle where waste reduction could be most effective.

2022 Environmental Pollution 51 citations
Article Tier 2

Polymers in Circular Economy: A Comprehensive Approach to Sustainability. An overview.

This review examines the role of polymers within the circular economy framework, analyzing strategies for reducing plastic consumption, improving recyclability, and transitioning toward more sustainable production and waste management models. The authors discuss the importance of government regulation and industry standards in driving circular economy adoption, while acknowledging barriers including economic inertia, upfront investment costs, and resistance to systemic change.

2023 Journal of the Chilean Chemical Society 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular economy and reduction of micro(nano)plastics contamination

This review argues that transitioning to a circular economy — through better design, recycling infrastructure, and reducing single-use plastics — offers one of the most viable systemic pathways to reducing micro- and nanoplastic contamination of the environment.

2022 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Transitioning to a circular economy for plastics with an artist in residence (TRACE-P)

Researchers applied artificial intelligence to model how transitioning to a circular economy for plastics could reduce pollution and resource use at scale. The study offers a data-driven roadmap for policymakers aiming to close plastic loops and cut the flow of new plastic into the environment.

2025 Journal of Cleaner Production 1 citations
Article Tier 2

The Circular Economy in EU Policy as a Response to Contemporary Ecological Challenges

This article reviews how EU countries are implementing circular economy policies and progress toward reducing plastic waste, finding large variation across member states. Shifting from linear to circular plastic economies is critical for reducing the production of waste that generates microplastics.

2019 Gospodarka Narodowa 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Accelerating Plastic Circularity: A Critical Assessment of the Pathways and Processes to Circular Plastics

A critical assessment of plastic circularity pathways found that today only 9% of global plastic waste is recycled, with current circularity routes economically unviable, and argues that improving product design and collection and sorting system effectiveness are the most impactful levers for progress.

2023 Processes 18 citations