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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On 6 May 2022, Ecologic Institute organized the "Theme Day Plastic in the Environment" to present to the public the research findings achieved since 2017 from 20 research projects with more than 100 participating institutions from science, industry and practice. Ecologic Institute developed a trailer for passenger television in Berlin's subways (Berliner Fenster) for Berlin-wide visibility of the event.

On 6 May 2022, Ecologic Institute organized the "Theme Day Plastic in the Environment" to present to the public the research findings achieved since 2017 from 20 research projects with more than 100 participating institutions from science, industry and practice. Ecologic Institute produced a reel to contribute to the visibility of the event.

Ecologic Institute coordinated the organisation of the European event "Tackling microplastics in the environment". It focussed on specific results and policy recommendations from scientific research projects from Germany and other EU member states. We invited policy stakeholders at the EU level as well as other interested stakeholders to learn more about these new findings on microplastic emissions into the environment and how to reduce them. Social media cards were created to draw stakeholders' attention to the event.

Drawing on results from several interdisciplinary research projects funded under the German research focus "Plastics in the Environment", Linda Mederake (Ecologic Institute) shared insights regarding the patterns of societal perception and behavior in dealing with (micro)plastics as well as the scope for action of different actors to reduce (micro)plastic emissions into the environment.

The EU Commission is planning an initiative on tackling the issue of non-intentional inputs of microplastics into the environment. The areas of textile fibres, tire abrasion, and pellet loss are specifically discussed at the EU level as part of the initiative.

To tackle the "plastic crisis", the concept of circular economy has attracted considerable attention over the past years, both by practitioners and scholars alike. Against this background, Linda Mederake, Ecologic Institute, reflects in this opinion paper from a political scientist's point of view on key issues currently under discussion regarding the implementation of a circular plastics economy.

Microplastics can find their way into the environment via various pathways. It can also be detected in living organisms. But what dangers can microplastics pose? What effects does it have on animals and plants? And how can this risk be assessed? The results video of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment" was designed and produced by Ecologic Institute.

Germany is striving for a circular economy, which aims to use products, components and materials for as long as possible and to reuse, repair and recycle them as often as possible. In this way, raw materials are to be saved and the life cycle of products is to be designed in such a way that hardly any waste is generated. But how exactly can the circular economy be implemented for plastics? What contribution can recycling and biodegradability of plastics make to waste prevention? What is technically possible? And where are the limits? The results video of the research focus "Plastics in the Environment" was designed and produced by Ecologic Institute.