Washington, DC — New analysis from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) exposes a little known but growing driver of microplastic pollution in the environment, agricultural soils, and our food supply. The report, Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future, reveals the underrecognized threat presented by the increasing and intentional use of microplastics in agricultural pesticides and fertilizers. It also identifies priorities for halting this pervasive but preventable source of pollution.
Deliberately added microplastics are a new, dangerous facet of the toxic triad formed by agrochemicals, plastics, and the fossil fuels used to make them. Sold as sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and efficient, these slow- or controlled-release fertilizers (SRFs and CRFs) compound the already significant harms of chemical-based pesticides and fertilizers by enhancing toxicity and increasing mobility. With mounting evidence showing microplastics have the potential to not only cross biological barriers in the human body but also to adsorb and transport other toxic chemicals, their intentional use in agrochemicals introduces a new array of health and environmental harms.
“Coating fertilizers and pesticides in microplastics makes already toxic substances even more dangerous to human health and ecosystem,” says Carroll Muffett, CIEL’s President. “As one of the most direct and preventable sources of microplastic pollution, and as a contributor to the climate crisis, microplastics must be banned from agricultural use as a critical step toward eliminating overuse of petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers more broadly.”
The industry’s rise points to a critical problem that must be part of national and international responses to the plastics pollution crisis, including upcoming negotiations for a global plastic treaty. The analysis shows:
- Agrochemicals are a significant source of microplastic pollution globally. In the European Economic Area (EEA) alone, 36,000 tonnes of microplastics are introduced into the environment through agrochemicals each year, accounting for more than 65% of microplastics intentionally added to the environment in that region. Industry production estimates suggest the problem is far wider than publicly reported.
- Concentrations of plastic pollution are many times greater in the soils than in the seas. Nearly one-third of all plastic waste lands in soil environments due to breakdown or intentional introduction. Microplastic pollution is estimated to be four to twenty-three times greater in terrestrial soils than in marine environments.
- Microplastics are disrupting ecosystems, threatening food security and climate. Microplastic accumulation is occurring at a rate up to 50 kilograms per hectare (more than 40 pounds per acre) per year, affecting soil ecosystems, bacterial composition, and organisms — all prerequisites for plant health. Its presence may impede soil’s ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide.
- Agrochemicals coated in microplastics potentially compound the threats to human health from the chemicals themselves. Microplastics have the ability to cross biological barriers and often carry other toxins. Farmworkers are at risk of inhaling them, and consumers may ingest contaminated food. Research shows that microplastics lead to increased neurotoxicity and cancer, among other health impacts.
- Global demand and production of SRFs and CRFs are rapidly expanding. The industry’s aggressive promotion of SRFs and CRFs as climate-friendly and ‘sustainable’ options has spurred accelerating consumer demand. Estimates indicate 6% market growth year over year, reaching a value of $3.3 billion by 2026.
- Governments should act now to close regulatory gaps and comprehensively ban the intentional use of microplastics in agriculture and other industries.
“Adding microplastics to agrochemicals accelerates an already toxic situation,” says Giulia Carlini, Senior Attorney at CIEL and co-author. “We are talking about an intentional introduction. Therefore, the resulting impacts — from exacerbating the plastic pollution crisis to threats to human health and inhibiting ecosystem function — are entirely preventable. We do not have to wait for more research. The evidence demands that decision-makers take steps to prevent the intentional production, use, and release of microplastics in all forms. Decision-makers should use the precautionary principle to take urgent action and implement a wide range of measures that prevent future harm.”
What others are saying about this report:
Christina Dixon, Ocean Campaign Leader at Environmental Investigation Agency:
“This timely report finally shines a light on the industrial agricultural sector as one of the most significant users of intentionally added microplastics. Here we are not just talking about the plastics that break down from mulch, silage and polytunnels used on farms, but pesticides and fertilisers encased within plastics and intentionally spread on crops and the soil in which our food grows. The evidence presented here sounds the alarm about the urgent need for the global regulation of plastics and a dedicated workstream within the forthcoming plastics treaty to ensure recognition of the substantial threat to the environment, food security and health posed by agriplastics.”
Jason Davidson, Senior Food and Agriculture Campaigner at Friends of the Earth:
“Agrochemical corporations being allowed to intentionally add toxic microplastics to their already harmful products is yet another example of [the US] Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to adequately regulate this industry. We must overhaul our broken pesticide regulations, rapidly transition away from chemical-intensive monocultures and invest in ecologically regenerative food production that drastically reduces our reliance on Big Ag and Big Oil’s toxic products.”
Anna Lappé, author, sustainable food advocate, and Food Sovereignty Fund director at the Panta Rhea Foundation:
Intentionally adding microplastics to pesticides and fertilizers is a solution in search of a problem We do not need pesticides or synthetic fertilizers — and we certainly don’t need microplastics — to feed the world. Evidence from around the world has made it clear that ecological alternatives to these fossil-fuel inputs abound. Indeed, truly climate-friendly food production—including organic agriculture and agroecological practices — rejects the fossil economy and helps foster ecosystem health, biodiversity, and climate stability. Taking action on this dangerous use of plastics is vital. Our health, the preservation of food systems, and the environment demand it.
Dr. Tadesse Amera, CoChair-International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN), Ethiopia:
The fertilizer and pesticide industries have poisoned our land, water, and food for decades – and now escalate the health threats from toxic chemicals in plastics and microplastics in their dangerous mix. We need to promote and increase investing into agroecology and transform food systems to support healthy and sustainable livelihoods for farmers and Indigenous Peoples.
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Media contact:
Cate Bonacini, press@ciel.org, +1-202-742-5847
(Posted on May 24th, 2022)