Because of their desirable properties and low cost, plastics are now found everywhere. Their use has become particularly common in agricultural and food production systems since the 1950s. Against this backdrop, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty; the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forests, Marine Affairs and Fisheries; and the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) asked INRAE and CNRS to conduct a collective scientific assessment focused on the use of plastics in agriculture and food production. The assessment synthesised existing knowledge about plastic uses, properties, and recycling. It also examined the impacts of plastics on human health and the environment. These results were presented at a public conference on May 23.

Current data indicate that 20% of plastic usage in France occurs in the context of agriculture and food production, namely for food packaging. The composition and structure of plastics have grown more complex over time, notably as additives and multiple layers have been employed to achieve specific combinations of properties. The result is plastics that are more difficult to recycle. The collective scientific assessment also underscores the massive degree of microplastic contamination—microplastics are found in all the world’s soils and are particularly abundant in agricultural soils. The latter likely contain more tons of microplastics than do the world’s oceans. Additionally, the bodies of all living organisms, including those of humans, are contaminated by microplastics, a reality with adverse health effects. Finally, the assessment highlights that we need research to boost the adoption of plastic alternatives, simplify plastic composition and structure, and better analyse the needs of agricultural and food industry stakeholders as a means for reducing plastic production.