Microplastics

Microplastics absolutely everywhere - even in the milk we feed our babies!? Some scary science & the startup companies you should be aware of:

➡️ The big issue: Microplastics are tiny plastic particles. At 5-100nm in size, they enter humans by ingestion, inhalation, and dermal contact, but research using animal models and human cell lines suggests they’re also responsible for health problems.

🍼 Science deep-dive: Recently, microplastics were found in breast milk of 26 out of 34 new mothers. No relationship with the use of personal care products containing plastic compounds or consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging was identified, suggesting microplastics are pretty much unavoidable at this point.

👩🏽‍🔬 Keen to get involved?

Startups like Matter. and Xampla (UK), Uluu (AU), and Mushroom Material (NZ) are building in this space by:

✅Removing microplastics from the environment
✅Recycling those microplastics
✅Replacing plastics with sustainable alternatives