Microplastics could harm food production

Plastic has saturated every aspect of our lives – and it’s almost impossible to avoid. We consume plastic at unsustainable rates, with Americans throwing away enough plastic to fill the Dallas Cowboys Stadium – the largest professional sports stadium in the country – every 15.5 hours. All this plastic waste has serious consequences for our environment and our health, especially the increasing prevalence of microplastics in our water, air and bodies. Now, research shows they’re in our plants too.

Microplastics are hampering plant growth

Plants are the foundation of nearly everything we eat. Beyond produce, plants feed the animals which supply our meat, eggs, and dairy. Without plants – particularly staple crops like corn, wheat, and soy – our entire food supply would be in jeopardy. Recent studies are finding that microplastics are hampering plant growth and production in several ways, which could have monumental consequences. 

Microplastics in soil have been shown to reduce water intake, limiting growth and the absorption of nutrients plants typically gain from their soil. This is largely due to the build up of plastics around plants’ root systems, which occurs as plants draw in water from their surrounding soil, with the water carrying plastic particles toward the roots like a strong current.

In addition to limiting plants’ ability to absorb nutrients and water through their soil, microplastics have also been shown to have a negative impact on plants’ ability to photosynthesize. Photosynthesis is the natural process by which plants turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into oxygen which is then released into the atmosphere. Since photosynthesis is a key function of plants, any restriction on this function can limit plant growth, in turn limiting plants’ output.

Microplastics in plants could significantly impact our food supply

A reduction in water and nutrient intake coupled with decreases in the energy production process are projected to have significant impacts on our crop production. With current plastic production levels and trends, farmers in the United States could see a four to 13.5% yield loss per year in staple crops such as corn and wheat over the next 25 years. 

This loss would mean that the average American farm – now feeding 169 people annually – would instead feed only 145. This could result in the need to expand the land used to grow food. Fertile agricultural land is becoming increasingly scarce as our urban and industrial areas expand, so farmland expansion could end up  moving into  land that has been set aside for conservation. 

To reduce microplastics, we need to use less plastic

One way to reduce the impact of microplastics on plants, and the downstream impact on our food production is to take steps in our personal lives to reduce our use of plastics and prevent microplastics from entering the environment. Some simple but meaningful solutions include installing a microfiber filter on your washing machine, avoiding microplastic-containing cosmetic items, and opting for reusables over single-use items. 

Ultimately, we need significant and widespread change to limit our consumption and reliance on plastics. Big companies like Amazon have an important role to play in reducing plastic pollution. We’re calling on the company to phase out all of their single-use plastic packaging. Sign your name to our petition below.