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Mind the fragmentation gap

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November, 2024, article in peer-reviewed journal
Nature Communications

Karin Kvale, Zhenna Azimrayat Andrews and Matthias Egger

  • Publication journal: Nature Communications
  • Publication type: Article in peer-reviewed journal
  • Collaborators: GNS Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand | Aotearoa Blue Ocean Research, Lower Hutt, New Zealand | University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK | The Ocean Cleanup, Rotterdam, The Netherlands | Egger Research and Consulting, St, Gallen, Switzerland
  • Publication date: November 13, 2024
  • DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53962-3

Abstract

The Global Plastics Treaty presents an opportunity to “end plastic pollution”. Legacy plastics will continue to fragment to secondary microplastics for decades, without additional mitigation measures. We identify this flux as a “fragmentation gap”, currently overlooked in global policy targets.