Joint MINAGRIS-PAPILLONS Stakeholder Forum Workshop: Use and Management of Agricultural Plastics and impact on soil health
17th Dec 2024, 10.00- 12.15 CET (online)
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvcuCtpjMsHtQRmCyYpz3l_igkQvg0Tq4J
This event is hosted by the Horizon 2020 projects MINAGRIS and PAPILLONS.
This workshop is for high level stakeholders and experts working at European or international levels on any aspect of agricultural plastics that impact the soil and soil ecosystems (plastic production, plastic alternatives, recycling, agricultural production, policy, campaigns).
The workshop aims to provide updates on recent developments on the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) negotiations for a global plastics treaty and on project progress.
The programme will include:
A keynote talk from Marie-France Dignac, INRAE and Steering committee member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty: Progress of the UNEP plastics treaty and on the role of scientists in the negotiation and implementation process
Presentations of project findings and request for contributions to the development of:
- Developing EU Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) guidelines for industry- Sara Guerrini, Novamont, Italy
- Policy review - Ildiko Heim, FIBL, Austria
- Developing a Decision Support Tool for agri-plastic use - Amila Abeynayaka, Technical University of Denmark
This is a great opportunity for you to hear about the projects’ findings to date and share your expertise and views.
MINAGRIS and PAPILLONS are two multi-actor projects supported by the H2020 work programme to assess the ecological risks of pollution associated with agricultural plastics (AP). The two projects will establish an inventory of the uses of AP in Europe, explore the effects of AP on soil quality (soil biota, soil structure), and study fate, fragmentation, microbial colonisation and decay of AP in soil. They will conduct a sustainability performance assessment of AP use in comparison to alternative techniques, as well as carry out large scale dissemination of results and involvement of end-users.
The new UN treaty on plastic pollution: A possible solution to the global plastics problem
By the end of this year, we may have international, legally binding rules on how to reduce plastic pollution, and not a moment too soon. This could be a game-changer in combatting global plastic pollution. The fifth, and potentially final, session is coming up in the Republic of Korea in November. We’re taking a look at why it matters, what’s next, how it’s key for soil plastics to be considered for the treaty to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
Why the UN Plastics treaty matters
It’s no longer news that plastic pollution, from litter to nanoparticles, contaminates every corner of our planet, from the polar ice caps to deep ocean trenches. Nano-plastics are deposited from the atmosphere, contaminating soil and water globally. In small quantities, we eat, drink and breathe them, and they are found inside human tissues from the brain to the placenta. The impacts of this on people, animals, and the environments on which we depend are becoming clearer.
Much like CFCs in the atmosphere, plastic pollution has no borders. Atmospheric CFCs are now in decline, thanks to international agreement on the Montreal Protocol. Global problems need global solutions, and the plastics treaty is an historic opportunity to address this worsening crisis. What’s more, currently, low- and middle-income countries carry a disproportionate burden of plastic waste, as the responsibility for recycling is often shipped offshore by wealthier countries, to those that don’t necessarily have the infrastructure to deal with it.
