Supporting data of the paper: Plastic pollution of soils – assessing EU policies for a poorly regulated field

In our research paper we discuss the effectiveness of selected EU policies to protect soils from plastic pollution. In this published policy profile, we provide an additional overview of all international and EU policies related to plastic pollution of soils.

The results of our research show that the policy instruments assessed address some entry pathways of micro- and nanoplastics into soils, but fail to comprehensively limit plastic pollution. In fact, all policies suffer from multiple governance problems, such as lack of target stringency, and shifting and rebound effects. The impact on soil plastic pollution remains limited. We therefore recommend aligning plastics policies with climate policies in line with the Paris Agreement, and also limiting plastic production through appropriate policy instruments such as cap-and-trade schemes.