Plastic pollution of soils – assessing EU policies for a poorly regulated field

Abstract Plastic pollution is widespread in both aquatic and terrestrial environments and is also widely abundant in soils. Plastics in soils are problematic due to their persistence and near-irremovability from the environment. In soils, plastic particles can alter soil structure, impact microbial communities, impairing soil fertility and affecting plant growth. Plastic in soils poses risks to wildlife and human health through bioaccumulation and food chain transfer. At the same time, functioning soils are fundamental to ecosystem stability, agricultural productivity, and resilience against climate change. Against this background, effective policies to halt and, at best, minimise plastic pollution in soils are urgently needed. This article presents the results of a qualitative governance analysis which aimed to assess the extent to which EU policies protect soils from plastic pollution. Results show that detailed regulatory ‘command-and-control’ approaches address some entry pathways of micro- and nanoplastics into soils but fail to limit plastic pollution comprehensively. In fact, all policies suffer from multiple governance problems such as lacking target stringency, as well as rebound effects, which only partly minimise specific pathways of plastic entry into soil, while overall plastic production is increasing. Therefore, the real impact on soil plastic pollution remains limited. One approach to effectively address soil plastic pollution is a global climate policy which is aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. In phasing out fossil fuels, plastic production would be phased out in parallel and hence plastic inputs into soils. A second-best approach is the use of economic policy instruments, such an an EU cap-and-trade system, which limits plastic pellet production by setting a strict and over time decreasing cap. Both approaches must be supplemented by improved command-and-control instruments.