Stakeholder survey on microplastics materials needs

Microplastics are ubiquitous and have been found nearly everywhere in the environment as well as in food. However, the properties, distribution and effects of microplastics are currently only partially understood, meaning that many different research questions still need to be answered. For doing relevant research, testing metarials are necessary. To learn about the needs and preferences of the scientific community regarding microplastic test materials, a stakeholder survey was conducted and received 145 responses. Overall, the survey indicated a need for microplastics test materials in a large variety of properties refelcting that each scientific domain and application has its own requirements. This (scientifically very valid) demand for diversity makes the establishment of a repository that satisfies at least a substantial part of the needs highly unlikely. Rather, the results of this survey can serve potential test and reference material producers and suppliers as a guidance to the stakeholders’ requirements in the area of microplastics research. ; JRC.F.2 - Technologies for Health