Plastics used in agriculture and food: uses, properties and impacts

Plastics are increasingly used in agricultural and food systems, due to their properties and low cost. Their main uses are to protect crops, preserve feed and package food, but they give rise to plastic pollution. This is the backdrop to the issues surrounding the uses, properties and impacts of plastics, which are of concern to society and public authorities in France, Europe and internationally.

To shed light on these issues, the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME) and the Ministries of Agriculture, Food and Ecological Transition asked INRAE and CNRS to conduct a collective scientific assessment. The study was carried out by a multidisciplinary group of some thirty European scientists. It reviews the scientific knowledge available on plastics used in agriculture and food, from their production to their long term impact on the environment.

Scientists have mobilized a systemic and historical approach to understand the role of plastics and question their sustainability in food value chains. They examined the relationship between the petroleum and bio-sourced origins of plastics, their composition and properties. They examined scientific knowledge on plastic waste management strategies, in particular recycling and biodegradation, as well as the dispersion of plastics and the resulting impacts on the health of continental ecosystems and human beings.

The conclusions of the study - including the gaps in knowledge - will be presented by the scientists, and will be the subject of exchanges with the stakeholders involved in these issues.