Five things you should know about microplastics

Monday evening’s discussion changed the way the audience will forever look at takeaway coffee cups.  

The gathering at the Conduit in London brought together entrepreneurs, clinicians, scientists and campaigners to confront what several speakers described as an overlooked driver of modern disease: plastics. The discussion was moderated by Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet, who framed the issue in stark terms: “We believe that plastics are the gateway to the polycrisis,” she said. “We know it’s not good for us, that it comes from fossil fuels, but actually plastic is the enabler of hyper consumption.” 

Sutherland dished out alarming facts and statistics. Nowhere on the planet is now safe from the chemicals in microplastics. They have been found on the top of mountains, to six miles below the ocean surface in the Mariana Trench. Plastic production is projected to treble by mid-century, further coating the planet in chemicals. For decades, evidence of environmental harm has accumulated without catalysing the kind of systemic change scientists say is necessary. What feels different now is the growing body of research suggesting that microplastics are not only polluting ecosystems but accumulating in human bodies, with consequences that may begin before birth. 

Left to Right: Paul Fowler, Professor University of Aberdeen; Sian Sutherland, Co-Founder of A Plastic Planet; Pierre Paslier, Co-Founder and Co-CEO at Notpla; David Fein, Vice Chair at The Earthshot Prize; and Anthony Kolanko, Chief Revenue Officer at Matter.

The event was tied to the launch of The Plastic Detox on Netflix, a documentary that follows couples struggling with infertility as they attempt to reduce their exposure to plastic-related chemicals in hopes of increasing their chances of conception. Ms. Sutherland said she believes the film resonates because it makes the issue personal. Plastics, she said, are not just an environmental problem but something that “touches into our very humanity.” 

Here are five of the most striking takeaways to emerge from the discussion. 

1. Microplastics are making us less fertile 

Infertility now affects roughly one in six couples worldwide, a statistic that has prompted growing concern among public health experts. Professor Paul Fowler of the University of Aberdeen explained that chemicals in microplastics interfere with our endocrine system that regulate our hormones.

These endocrine-disrupting compounds seep into our bodies from everything from air pollution to food packaging. Hormone disruption causes many fertility issues from miscarriage, affecting one in eight pregnancies, to gestational diabetes, which has tripled over the last twenty years and occurs in 7% of all pregnancies. Studies in mice have shown that exposure to microplastics decreases the vitality of oocytes, the precursor to eggs. Another alarming study from 2024 found that microplastics were present in 100% of human placentas.  

Fowler explained that microplastics aren’t just a problem for a pregnant mother but could extend down the family line into future generations.  “A pregnant woman who has a female foetus also has her granddaughter’s eggs inside that female foetus,” he said. 

Infertility is not just a problem impacting women. Sperm counts in Western countries have fallen sharply over the past half century, a trend some scientists associate with environmental contaminants, including plastics. 

 2. Microplastics impact a baby’s growth  

If the science around fertility is unsettling, the implications for early development may be even more so. Dr. Leonardo Trasande, a pediatrician and researcher at New York University, said that chemicals found in plastics can mimic or interfere with hormones at extremely low levels of exposure. 

“When we’re talking about endocrine-disrupting chemicals in plastic, we’re talking about chemicals that are operating at the same levels as our own hormone molecules,” he said. 

During pregnancy, thyroid hormones play a central role in brain development. Even subtle disruptions have been associated with cognitive impairments, as well as conditions such as attention disorders. These effects may not be immediately visible at birth but can shape health trajectories over a lifetime. Dr. Trasande drew a parallel to the Dutch Hunger Winter, when poor nutrition caused hormone disruption in utero that led to lasting increases in obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease decades later. The concern, he said, is that chemical exposures may produce similar long-term effects. 

3. The exposure is nearly impossible to avoid 

For many people, the idea of reducing plastic exposure suggests small lifestyle adjustments. The reality, researchers say, is far more complicated. Dr. Jane Muncke, who leads research at the Food Packaging Forum, emphasized that plastics are chemically active materials that can release thousands of compounds into their surroundings. 

“Maybe you’ve experienced that new car smell,” she said. “That’s chemicals coming out of the plastic.” 

The same process occurs in food packaging, particularly when it is heated. Disposable coffee cups, takeaway containers and even seemingly inert packaging can transfer microscopic particles and chemicals into what we eat and drink. Perhaps most troubling, Dr. Muncke added, is the lack of transparency. Even manufacturers often do not have a complete picture of the chemical composition of their products. 

 4. The good news: there are solutions! Seaweed is one 

Despite the scale of the problem, some speakers pointed to signs of progress. In conversation with David Fein, Vice Chair of the Earthshot Prize, Pierre Paslier, co-founder of Notpla, described efforts to replace conventional plastic with natural alternatives.

His Earthshot Prize winning company uses seaweed to create a range of packaging products. Unlike plastics, seaweed is entirely biodegradable, abundant in nature, and made without the use of chemicals. It also grows quickly without requiring freshwater or fertilizers and captures carbon. Using seaweed to fight microplastic contamination is particularly poignant solution given the estimated 6.3bn tonnes of untreated plastics polluting the oceans. Seaweed farming has boomed in recent years and now generates around 30mn tonnes of biodegradable material that goes into everything from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics, to fertilizers.  

Notpla coffee cups

“If we replaced every single use plastic in the world with plant materials, we would need to use 0.06% of the surface of the ocean,” said Paslier. 

He suggested that harvesting the abundance of seaweed in the Sargassum Sea would solve two problems at once: “Last year alone there was 37mn tonnes [of seaweed] that was created just in the Caribbean. With that alone we could replace 10% of the plastics in the world just from that single region.” 

Notpla is currently working on a pilot research project with Horizon Earth to reinvent the takeaway coffee cup without plastics. Studies have shown that plastic-lined cups release thousands of microplastic particles into the beverage within minutes of use. A completely biodegradable coffee cup could save the planet from the harm caused by the 500 billion single use cups that go unrecycled each year.  

5. Better laundry is another  

One of the more surprising sources of microplastic pollution is clothing. Synthetic fabrics shed microscopic fibers during washing, many of which end up in waterways. The amount of toxins adds us quickly considering that the average household does laundry four times per week, releasing 111.6mn grammes of microplastics into the water supply. These chemicals are then circulated back into nature, impacting the endocrine systems of wildlife, and crucially of humans.  

Anthony Kolanko, Chief Revenue Officer of Matter, explained how his company develops water filtration systems that capture microplastics and lower carbon emissions. Matter has recently partnered with BSH to create a microplastic filter that attaches to any washing machine and captures 97% of microplastic pollution. While new solutions are still emerging, they point to the possibility of reducing exposure without requiring sweeping changes in daily behaviour.