Eighty-five per cent of citizens want single-use plastic packaging to disappear completely. This is according to new research by Ipsos commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Plastic Free Foundation. Entrepreneurs who abandon packaging or make it more sustainable seem to have tapped into a goldmine – but part of the business community is still deaf and dumb. ‘People are getting fed up with all the plastic in the supermarket.’ So-called single-use plastics are responsible for most of the plastic pollution in the oceans, the plastic soup. The European Union has already taken actio ..read more

March 15 2024 That’s what readers of news site nu.nl on their comment platform Nujij were wondering. In a recent article [Dutch], the site spoke to Plastic Soup Foundation and others to discuss the state of tackling the plastic problem. Plastic pollution of rivers and oceans is getting worse every day. PSF’s Jeroen Dagevos tells Nu.nl that the situation is dramatic: “We are at the point where future generations will continue to see how much plastic we used.” This applies not only to the plastic in the water, but also to plastic in our bodies, which is now linked to cancer, autoimmune problems ..read more

March 15 2024 The first Impact Fair is Europe’s largest Impact Experience. An interactive ‘immersive’ experience of impactful examples. There are 9 stages with master classes, launches, inspiration and concrete tools to get started. Plastic Soup Foundation is happy to participate in providing good examples, such as talking about our Beat The Microbead app and the impact of microplastics on our health. For whom? For anyone who wants to contribute in a positive way and is looking for inspiration! Discover, feel & experience what you can do differently tomorrow. On Thursday 4 April, mainly co ..read more

22 February 2024 On 22 February 2024, lawyers from ClientEarth, in collaboration with 14 other environmental organisations, including Plastic Soup Foundation, took new steps to block INEOS’ plastic project in Antwerp, as the chemical giant is determined to build Europe’s largest plastic project. This joint effort results in a lawsuit against the Flemish government, marking a new phase in this group of environmental organisations’ long-running battle against INEOS’ so-called ‘Project One’. Read Client Earth’s press release here. This legal move stems from an earlier court ruling in July, which ..read more

16 january 2023 New scientific research reveals alarming facts about our daily water and soft drink consumption. It turns out that with every plastic PET bottle, we ingest hundreds of thousands of tiny plastic particles. Previous studies already pointed to the presence of microplastics in disposable bottles, but the number of 240,000 particles per litre is so alarming that it raises health questions. From bottle to body The study, using a specialised laser technique, focused on water bottles from three US brands and found that as many as 90% of the plastic particles found were nanoplastics and ..read more

28 november 2023 Last week, the European Commission decided to ban waste exports to countries outside the European Union with a revision of the Waste Shipment Regulation. It is no longer allowed to ship plastic waste to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Plastic Soup Foundation welcomes this measure, as these countries have major problems processing European plastic waste. Unfortunately, the ban does not solve everything, the shortcuts still remain to countries like Turkey and it also does not solve the illegal waste flow. It is now prohibited to ship waste to non-OECD countri ..read more

28 november 2023 As all 2,000 participants headed home after the third meeting of the United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (UNEP) on Plastic Pollution (INC-3), disappointment reigned. Initially, progress seemed to have been made, but it was overshadowed by failed negotiations on the final day. The ultimate goal of the convention – ending plastic pollution – did not come any closer during the session held from 13 to 19 November in Nairobi, Kenya. Differences of opinion flared up over how much, and even if, plastic production should be reduced, an idea that did figure prominent ..read more

9 November 2023 Recent research commissioned by Plastic Soup Foundation has shown that agricultural fields in the Netherlands and Spain are seriously contaminated with microplastics. A surprising and worrying finding is that ‘biodegradable’ agricultural foils appear to be a major source of this pollution. Despite their claim of biodegradability, these films turn out to be not nearly as biodegradable as previously thought, resulting in a high concentration of microplastics in the soil. -> Read the Summary -> Read more on this topic in our dossier Cause of pollution: Misleading about biode ..read more

18 October 2023 Since 1 July this year, consumers have been required to pay an additional levy, known as the plastictax, on disposable cups and containers. However, this measure, introduced to reduce plastic consumption, is now being questioned by the House of Representatives. A proposal by the political party SP to abolish this tax already has the support of a majority in the House. The reconsideration comes as consumers continue to buy disposable plastic unabated. According to the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT), the current plastic tax is difficult to implement and enforc ..read more

4 October 2023 – Japanese scientists climbed Mount Fuji and Mount Oyama to collect water from clouds – The team identified nine different types of polymers and one type of rubber – The cloud water tested contained about 6.7 to 13.9 particles per litre. This is according to a study published in the journal Environmental Chemistry Letters. From the 6.8-mile-deep Mariana Trench to the summit of Mount Everest, microplastics have been found almost everywhere on Earth. Now a study has shown that plastic is also floating in our clouds. Scientists warn that these microplastics are falling back onto th ..read more