The plastic problem

Towards a more sustainable use of plastic in agriculture

Martina Boschiero and Olmo Pruneri, Naturland e.V.

Service & Expertise

Do you think that you live in the Anthropocene? You are mistaken. Welcome to the Plasticene, the plastic era, an era marked by a new and increasing layer of plastic.¹ Plastic is everywhere. It has unfortunately become a fundamental material and without it we could not live. However, pollution derived from plastic is one of the great environmental challenges of the 21st century, causing wide-ranging damage to ecosystems and human health.

Naturland cares deeply about the plastic problem. Our standards encourage the sustainable management of plastic through methods such as recycling, the non-burning of plastic mulch, preventing the use of PVC and the use of degradable materials, among others (see page 12, Part A./ Section II./ Item 9). Moreover, Naturland supports on-farm research and organises trainings on plastic management and waste disposal. However, the plastic problem is still a reality, one that we will explore through this article.

Environmental, ecosystem and human health issues

Plastic mulch on a strawberry farm (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

When plastics are improperly disposed, they represent a serious pollution source. For example, some farmers burn plastic waste outdoors, releasing toxic chemicals into the air. When damaged, degraded or discarded in the environment, plastics can degrade into micro- and nano-plastics, which can transfer and accumulate in food chains, threatening food security, food safety and potentially human health. Recent studies showed that micro and nano-plastic influence physicochemical soil properties, alter the richness of microbial communities, and have impacts on pollination and crop productivity.²

In agricultural soil, the main source of microplastic are mulching films (39%). Considerable amounts of microplastics also stem from low quality sewage sludge and compost, which are used as fertilizer. Sometimes the removal and separation processes during the manufacturing of such fertilizer are inefficient, leading to plastic pieces seeping through the soil.³

This should make us think: plastic is a cheap, immediate solution for many common issues seen in agriculture. But, considering the negative impacts at environmental, ecosystem and human health levels, plastics may cause more harm than good. This can especially be seen in the cumulative cost of plastic pollution, as the ever-increasing layer of refuse that It is. A recent report from WWF states that “the societal lifetime cost of the plastic produced in 2040 could reach US$7.1 trillion (+/-US$2.2 trillion), equivalent to approximately 85% of the global spending on health in 2018 and greater than the gross domestic product (GDP) of Germany, Canada, and Australia in 2019 combined.“⁴

Plastic in agriculture: facts and figures

First used in 1948 in the US for small greenhouse covers, and soon after in Japan with PVC greenhouse covers, agricultural plastics have since expanded globally for various applications, replacing traditional materials such as glass to cover greenhouses and paper or straw for soil mulching.⁵ Updated data on the quantity of plastics used globally in agriculture are scarce. FAO estimated that the agricultural sector consumes 3.5 percent of the global plastic production, which amounted to 359 million tonnes in 2018.⁶ The annual use of plastic worldwide during agricultural production is at least 12.5 million tonnes, while 37.3 million tonnes of plastic were used globally in food packaging. Nearly 70% of agricultural films are used in Asia.⁷

Further information

Naturland understands the need for increased access to education on plastic use. With this goal, Naturland Academy offers a free online course “Agriculture and plastic pollution”.

In 90 minutes, learn more about the problems caused by plastic, Naturland's regulations on plastic and non-organic waste, as well as further challenges and solutions.

What Naturland intends to do

Understanding this issue, Naturland promotes the use of plastic under the “4 R” principle: refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle. Through this, we aim to minimise plastic use and waste, and to make alternatives to plastic more accessible. In the case of mulching, one of the largest parts of the problem, we promote the use of organic mulch such as tree pruning, weeds and waste from processing. Plastic pollution is a serious threat to humanity and the entire ecosystem, and Naturland wants to raise awareness among its members concerning the topic, providing useful information and analysing possible alternatives and solutions.

Share your experience

We would like to know more about the “plastic reality” of Naturland members. Do you use plastic, how do you dispose plastic waste, what plastic-free options can you hope to transfer to in the future, etc.

We have created a questionnaire on plastic use and disposal, that will be shared with you soon in order to gather useful information to inch closer towards the most sustainable forms of agricultural management possible.

Authors

Martina Boschiero is in charge of member support and quality assurance for Italy and France. Previously, she was a researcher on LCA and sustainability at various Italian universities.