Topical Discussion: Understanding Microplastic Fate and (Eco) Toxicity Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

A global agreement to end plastic pollution must be based on pertinent, multi-disciplinary knowledge. Considering the entire life cycle impacts of plastics and substitutes is essential to achieve sustainable solutions rather than shifting the burden. Hence, this process requires considerations of fossil-based and biobased feedstocks for plastic production, plastic chemicals and additives, plastic degradation pathways and intermediates, environmental impacts, ecotoxicological and human health effects, socio-economic costs, etc. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool to assess the entire life cycle impacts considering many mid and end-point impact categories such as climate change, ecotoxicity, human toxicity, biodiversity loss etc. However, the current LCA methodological approaches have limitations in including the impacts of microplastics in the LCA. The two Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) interest groups (Microplastics and LCA interest groups) bring this into the discussion at Dublin's 33rd Europion Annual Meeting.