Soils are the foundation of life. They store carbon, support biodiversity, and help fight climate change. But they are under threat—not only from overuse and degradation, but also from a less visible enemy: plastic pollution.

Micro- and nanoplastics are especially concerning. They are everywhere, persist for centuries, and can’t be removed once they enter the environment. They harm wildlife, threaten human health, and are now found even in the most pristine parts of Earth.

Presenting at IP Day “Healthy Planet”

At the Integration Platform (IP) day “Healthy Planet”, UFZ researchers came together across disciplines to share field results and build collaborations. Our partner at UFZ, presented the research on soil plastic pollution policies, investigated within our SOILPROM project and now submitted as a research article.

The qualitative governance analysis looked at several EU policies, including:

• REACH Regulation (chemicals)
• Soil Monitoring Law proposal
• Plastic Pellet Losses proposal
• Fertilising Products Regulation
• EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and Sewage Sludge Directive

Our results show that the EU takes important first steps to address (plastic) pollution in soils. However, substantial governance issues (e.g., enforcement problems) remain. 
To effectively address soil plastic pollution, policy instruments will have to address the driver of soil plastic pollution – fossil fuels – and aim at their phase out.

Discover the whole analysis: https://zenodo.org/records/15187632