Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture

Thilo Hofmann; Subhasis Ghoshal; Nathalie Tufenkji; Jan Franklin Adamowski; Stéphane Bayen; Qiqing Chen; Philip Demokritou; Markus Flury; Thorsten Hüffer; Natalia P. Ivleva; Rong Ji; Richard L. Leask; Milan Maric; Denise M. Mitrano; Michael Sander; Sabine Pahl; Matthias C. Rillig; Tony R. Walker; Jason C. White; Kevin J. Wilkinson

doi:10.1038/s43247-023-00982-4

Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture

Thilo Hofmann (Corresponding author), Subhasis Ghoshal (Corresponding author), Nathalie Tufenkji (Corresponding author), Jan Franklin Adamowski, Stéphane Bayen, Qiqing Chen, Philip Demokritou, Markus Flury, Thorsten Hüffer, Natalia P. Ivleva, Rong Ji, Richard L. Leask, Milan Maric, Denise M. Mitrano, Michael Sander, Sabine Pahl, Matthias C. Rillig, Tony R. Walker, Jason C. White, Kevin J. Wilkinson

Publications: Contribution to journal › Article › Peer Reviewed

Abstract

Plastics have become an integral component in agricultural production as mulch films, nets, storage bins and in many other applications, but their widespread use has led to the accumulation of large quantities in soils. Rational use and reduction, collection, reuse, and innovative recycling are key measures to curb plastic pollution from agriculture. Plastics that cannot be collected after use must be biodegradable in an environmentally benign manner. Harmful plastic additives must be replaced with safer alternatives to reduce toxicity burdens and included in the ongoing negotiations surrounding the United Nations Plastics Treaty. Although full substitution of plastics is currently not possible without increasing the overall environmental footprint and jeopardizing food security, alternatives with smaller environmental impacts should be used and endorsed within a clear socio-economic framework. Better monitoring and reporting, technical innovation, education and training, and social and economic incentives are imperative to promote more sustainable use of plastics in agriculture.

Original language	English
Article number	332
Number of pages	11
Journal	Communications Earth and Environment
Volume	4
Issue number	1
Early online date	25 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00982-4
Publication status	Published - 1 Dec 2023

Funding

This article resulted from an expert workshop held in September 2022, hosted and supported by the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Thilo Hofmann, Thorsten Hüffer, and Sabine Pahl acknowledge support from the University of Vienna Research Platform Plastics in the Environment (PLENTY). Denise M. Mitrano was funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), grant number PCEFP2_186856. Markus Flury acknowledges support from the NSF-EAR Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry program (Grant 2152514) and USDA-SCRI (Grant 2022-51181-38325). Figures 1 , 2 , and 4 were created by Audrey Desaulniers, Orcéine, Montreal, Canada. This article resulted from an expert workshop held in September 2022, hosted and supported by the Trottier Institute for Sustainability in Engineering and Design, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Thilo Hofmann, Thorsten Hüffer, and Sabine Pahl acknowledge support from the University of Vienna Research Platform Plastics in the Environment (PLENTY). Denise M. Mitrano was funded through the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), grant number PCEFP2_186856. Markus Flury acknowledges support from the NSF-EAR Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry program (Grant 2152514) and USDA-SCRI (Grant 2022-51181-38325). Figures , , and were created by Audrey Desaulniers, Orcéine, Montreal, Canada.

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

106026 Ecosystem research
105906 Environmental geosciences
106022 Microbiology

Keywords

agriculture
environmental impact
human behaviour

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1038/s43247-023-00982-4Licence: CC BY 4.0

https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:2070012Licence: CC BY 4.0

Cite this

Hofmann, T., Ghoshal, S., Tufenkji, N., Adamowski, J. F., Bayen, S., Chen, Q., Demokritou, P., Flury, M., Hüffer, T., Ivleva, N. P., Ji, R., Leask, R. L., Maric, M., Mitrano, D. M., Sander, M., Pahl, S., Rillig, M. C., Walker, T. R., White, J. C., & Wilkinson, K. J. (2023). Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture. Communications Earth and Environment, 4(1), Article 332. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00982-4

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abstract = "Plastics have become an integral component in agricultural production as mulch films, nets, storage bins and in many other applications, but their widespread use has led to the accumulation of large quantities in soils. Rational use and reduction, collection, reuse, and innovative recycling are key measures to curb plastic pollution from agriculture. Plastics that cannot be collected after use must be biodegradable in an environmentally benign manner. Harmful plastic additives must be replaced with safer alternatives to reduce toxicity burdens and included in the ongoing negotiations surrounding the United Nations Plastics Treaty. Although full substitution of plastics is currently not possible without increasing the overall environmental footprint and jeopardizing food security, alternatives with smaller environmental impacts should be used and endorsed within a clear socio-economic framework. Better monitoring and reporting, technical innovation, education and training, and social and economic incentives are imperative to promote more sustainable use of plastics in agriculture.",

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Hofmann, T, Ghoshal, S, Tufenkji, N, Adamowski, JF, Bayen, S, Chen, Q, Demokritou, P, Flury, M, Hüffer, T, Ivleva, NP, Ji, R, Leask, RL, Maric, M, Mitrano, DM, Sander, M, Pahl, S, Rillig, MC, Walker, TR, White, JC & Wilkinson, KJ 2023, 'Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture', Communications Earth and Environment, vol. 4, no. 1, 332. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00982-4

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AU - Ghoshal, Subhasis

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AU - Chen, Qiqing

AU - Demokritou, Philip

AU - Flury, Markus

AU - Hüffer, Thorsten

AU - Ivleva, Natalia P.

AU - Ji, Rong

AU - Leask, Richard L.

AU - Maric, Milan

AU - Mitrano, Denise M.

AU - Sander, Michael

AU - Pahl, Sabine

AU - Rillig, Matthias C.

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Plastics can be used more sustainably in agriculture

Abstract

Funding

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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