Plastic in the Environment – Final Conference of the BMBF Research Programme

A Digital Event

Event: Conference
Date: 20 - 21 April 2021
Location: online
Hashtag: #plastikinderumwelt

Plastic in the environment is a topic of immense significance, which has only grown in relevance since the Coronavirus pandemic.

Water pollution (oceans, rivers, lakes, ground water) and plastic/microplastics in the environment are among the top environmental concerns for many people. In 2017, the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) launched 'Plastic in the Environment' as a major research initiative to address existing knowledge gaps in this area.

In this context, 20 research projects with over a hundred partners from science, industry, associations and municipalities have been investigating numerous aspects of plastic pollution, as well as possible sources, sinks and effects of plastic in the environment. The projects aim to develop and establish scientific procedures, methods, instruments and concepts for the investigation of plastic in the environment. Research results shall subsequently be employed to gain an overall picture of the environmental impacts of plastics along their chain of production from use to disposal, and to identify potential solutions and policy recommendations.

The conference:

Presented project results from the 20 joint projects under the 'Plastic in the Environment' umbrella;
Offered workshops on cross-cutting issues with presentations and stakeholder discussions;
Facilitated expert discussions on solutions for reducing plastic inputs in the environment, including feasibility;
Created opportunities for exchange with key players working on this topic.

Please find more information, including the agenda, presentations, and the conference proceedings on the conference website.

Presentation and discussion of research results from 20 projects on the issue of plastic pollution

Plastics & the Environment – Why We Need a Plastics Treaty

13 March 2024
Doris Knoblauch

News

Doris Knoblauch was an observer at the negotiations in Nairobi during the week and, as part of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (Scientist's Coalition for short), provided various negotiating delegations with scientific information. The Scientist's Coalition is an independent network of scientists around the world who conduct research on plastics, chemicals, and health, covering various disciplines and aspects. A team was on site to answer open questions quickly, scientifically and independently.

UN Negotiations on a Potential Plastics Agreement were Stuck in Nairobi

A long way to go

13 - 19 November 2023

Publication:Article

Plastics Treaty Text Must Center Ecosystems

Letter in Science

Year 2023

Publication:Article

This article illustrates the communication strategies that were successfully applied in the citizen science program Plastic Pirates in Germany. The program engages schoolchildren, teachers and youth groups in plastic pollution research. A variety of communication strategies have been implemented and continuously revised and adapted since the start of the program in 2016.

Sharing Communication Insights of the Citizen Science Program Plastic Pirates

Best practices from 7 years of engaging schoolchildren and teachers in plastic pollution research

Year 2023

News

After the euphoria had been dampened at the beginning of the negotiation week in Paris, there was a good result in the end: The Chair H.E. Mr. Gustavo Adolfo Meza-Cuadra Velasquez and the INC Secretariat were given a mandate to present a first draft ("zero draft") in the run-up to the next negotiations. This is an important next step. Doris Knoblauch accompanied the INC-2 negotiations in Paris for Ecologic Institute.

Why the Negotiations on the UN Plastics Agreement in Paris were a Success

An important step

29 May - 2 June 2023

Publication:Book

For many people, plastic bottles have become an indispensable part of everyday life. However, the production and throwing away of plastic bottles is harmful to the environment and the climate. Ideally, PET bottles are recycled and reused. But what happens to the bottles during the recycling process? "Die Geisterstunde" by Christian Tielmann is the third PIXI book produced as part of the BMBF research focus "Plastics in the Environment" with Stiftung Lesen and Carlsen Verlag and is dedicated to the recycling of plastic bottles.

Die Geisterstunde

Year 2023

Publication:Book

Plastics shape our modern life like hardly any other material. They are flexible, light, and versatile. At the same time, they also represent one of the greatest ecological challenges of our time. To make this topic clear and understandable for children and to convey the relevant knowledge, Ecologic Institute and Stiftung Lesen, together with Carlsen Verlag, have developed this special edition of Lesemaus.

Alte Flaschen, neue Flaschen!

A Lesemaus on the subject of recycling

Year 2023

Presentation:Lecture

On 29 March 2023, Doris Knoblauch and Mandy Hinzmann gave a lecture on "Plastics and the Environment" in a postgraduate course, where 19 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. The focus was on reducing plastics in the environment, on different responsibilities and concerns from a global perspective on the one hand, and on the textile sector on the other hand.

Plastics & The Environment – Responsibilities and Implications Between North and South

29 March 2023
Doris Knoblauch

Event:Digital Event

On 19 May 2020, Doris Knoblauch moderated a media training for the research focus "Plastics in the Environment". The journalist Ralf Nestler provided the content input. In addition to his work at the Tagesspiegel, he also worked as a scientist at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. Nestler thus knows both sides of the relationship between science and journalism.

How to Get My Research Topic into the Media – And how to keep control over the issue coverage?

Media training PlastikNet

19 May 2020
online

Funding: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany
Organizer: Ecologic Institute, Germany
Team: Doris Knoblauch

Dr. Ulf Stein

Hannes Schritt

Chiara Mazzetti

Elena von Sperber

Karl Lehmann
Date: 20 - 21 April 2021
Location: online
Language: German
Project: Scientific Coordination of Research Projects on "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions" (PlastikNet)
Project ID: 2295
Keywords: Adaptation

Coastal + Marine

Communication

Economics

Education

Governance

Plastics

Resource Conservation + Circular Economy

Water

research focus, limnic systems, green economy, consumption, recycling, plastics, microplastics

Germany, sea. ocean

analytics

Further Links

project website: Plastics in the Environment

PublicationPosterPlastics in the Environment: Social Science Research – Poster Series

How is a topic such as microplastics socially problematised? How can consumers use plastics more sustainably? And what role do the interests and perceptions of different actors play in international plastics regulation? These and other questions are posed by social... Read more

Ecologic Institute 2019: Plastik in der Umwelt: Sozialwissenschaftliche Forschung. Überblick über Forschungsgegenstände, Ergebnisarten und Zielgruppen der Projekte mit sozialwissenschaftlichem Anteil im BMBF-Forschungsschwerpunkt "Plastik in der Umwelt". PlastikNet Poster Series. Poster.

PublicationFlyerPlastic in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions – Project Flyer

○ Plastic in the Environment

Ecologic Institute designed a promotional flyer as part of the visual identity for the project "Plastic in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions." The flyer summarizes the general objectives and aims of the project, contains a list of partners and contact... Read more

Ecologic Institut (2018): Plastic in the Environment. Flyer

PublicationWebsitePlastic in the Environment

Projektwebsite: Plastik in der Umwelt

The Ecologic Institute designed and developed the bilingual project website "Plastic in the Environment". It contains an interactive map, which gives an overview of all funded projects. Furthermore the website provides detailed information on the projects and related... Read more

Ecologic Institut (2018): Plastic in the Environment. URL: www.bmbf-plastik.de/en

PublicationDocumentMicroplastics Analytics

Diskussionspapier

This discussion paper, edited by Ecologic Institute, presents the physicochemical investigation methods used in the research focus "Plastics in the Environment", in particular for the analysis of microplastics. Therefore, representatives of the joint research projects... Read more

Braun, Ulrike; Jekel, Martin; Gerdts, Gunnar; Ivleva, Natalia; Reiber, Jens (2018): Discussion Paper Microplastics Analytics. Sampling, Preparation and Detection Methods. Discussion paper published in the course of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment – Sources • Sinks • Solutions". Berlin: Ecologic Institute.