Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future

This report summary highlights the environmental and health risks of intentionally adding microplastics to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides in industrial agriculture. It asserts that this practice introduces pollutants directly into soil and food supplies, compounding the toxicity of agrochemicals, and calls for a total ban on the production and use of plastic-coated agrochemicals.

• The deliberate addition of microplastics to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides used in industrial agriculture introduces plastic particles directly into the environment and potentially into the food supply, which increases the health and environmental hazards already associated with these toxic agrochemicals.
• The report argues that the production and use of plastic-coated fertilizers and pesticides should be banned because they likely increase the harm caused by both microplastics and toxic chemicals, and this pollution is preventable through regulation of the plastics industry.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future. https://www.ciel.org/reports/microplastics-in-agrochemicals/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/reports/microplastics-in-agrochemicals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future |date=24 May 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/reports/microplastics-in-agrochemicals/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022sowing, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Sowing a Plastic Planet: How Microplastics in Agrochemicals Are Affecting Our Soils, Our Food, and Our Future}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.ciel.org/reports/microplastics-in-agrochemicals/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }