Microplastics, i.e. particles smaller than 5 mm, can be formed by the degradation of waste and plastic materials but can also be added voluntarily to industrial products, such as cosmetics, paints, fertilizers. Very frequently, unfortunately, they escape the water purification plants and are dispersed in the sea, with very serious consequences on animal life and on the trophic chains. Greenpeace has calculated that in Europe alone 40,000 tons of microplastics added voluntarily to some product are dispersed into the environment every year. To reduce the devastating impact of this release, Greenpeace has launched a petition to ask our Ministry of the Environment to support the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) proposal to ban the addition of microplastics in numerous products and to introduce stricter rules to avoid the dispersion of plastics and microparticles into the environment. In addition, it is asked to extend the prohibitions also to liquid, semi-solid e soluble plastics, of which very little is known about the environmental impact. To join the Greenpeace petition you can consult the dedicated page.
Source: Il Fatto Alimentare