4 Things you didn’t know about microplastics pollution

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on the World Economic Forum or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Microplastics now make up over 90% of all plastic on the ocean surface, posing increasingly complex risks to ecosystems and human health
• New research highlights that microplastics not only impair photosynthesis in plants, but also enter the food chain, increase antimicrobial resistance, and may disrupt brain function

🔭 The context: Microplastics—defined as plastic particles under five millimetres—originate from cosmetics and the breakdown of larger plastics
• Their omnipresence in air, water, and soil makes them nearly impossible to avoid
• The World Economic Forum’s Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), with 25 national partnerships, is working to implement real-world solutions to translate global commitments into action against plastic pollution

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Microplastics reduce plant photosynthesis by up to 18%, which can lead to significant drops in crop yields and seafood availability, thereby threatening global food security
• They also diminish carbon absorption capacity in natural sinks like forests and kelp beds, undermining climate mitigation
• Their health impacts—ranging from antibiotic resistance to possible neurological damage—raise serious concerns about long-term societal costs

⏭️ What's next: Efforts are intensifying to both eliminate existing marine plastic waste and curb the use of microplastics at source
• GPAP is scaling its locally led, circular economy initiatives, including funding grassroots solutions
• Researchers estimate that removing 99% of aquatic plastic debris could halve human microplastic exposure—placing a premium on international collaboration, innovation, and regulatory enforcement

💬 One quote: “Microplastics are not just an environmental issue—they are an urgent human health and food security concern,” – Andrea Willige, Senior Writer, World Economic Forum

📈 One stat: A recent study projects that microplastic-induced declines in photosynthesis could reduce corn and rice yields by 13.5% and seafood production by 7% over the next 25 years

See here detailed sustainability performance of companies like Nestle, and Lego

Click for more news covering the latest on pollution