Bio-based materials and process innovation can provide alternatives to the materials responsible for the worrying prevalence of microplastics in our bodies, our food, and our pets. Vireo is supporting the commercialization of safer and more sustainable products and processes.

Recently, researchers from the University of New Mexico reported detecting microplastics in 100% of the human and dog testicles they tested. Other studies have detected microplastics in human seminal fluid, placenta, stool, blood and breast milk, and in blood clots developing in the heart, brain, and legs. Alarm bells are being sounded about the long-term impact of these persistent materials – which are an optimum size and shape for diffusing through body tissue, transporting toxic contaminants, interacting with cells and bioaccumulating in the food chain.

Microplastics are generated from the breakdown of consumer products like single-use plastic bottles, food packaging and plastic pellets – from trash dumped in the ocean and landfills. They make their way into drinking water and onto farmlands where they are incorporated into agricultural crops that end up on our dinner plates. An obvious solution is to reduce or even eliminate the use of environmentally persistent petroleum-based plastics. Vireo is working with a number of organizations commercializing bio-based alternatives: materials that readily break down in the environment and create significantly less microplastic. Recycling is another option, if carried out in a way that maintains, or even enhances, the value of the plastic and keeps it in a circular economy. We are delighted to partner with some of the leaders in this field as we work to support legislative and commercial acceptance of safer and sustainable materials and processes.

More about the issues surrounding microplastics:

Microplastic presence in dog and human testis and its potential association with sperm count and weights of testis and epididymis, Chelin Jamie Hu, et. al. Toxicological Sciences, 2024

Microplastics Occurrence, Health, Effects, and Mitigation Policies: An Evidence Review for the California State Legislature, January 2023.

Transport of microplastics in the body and interaction with biological barriers, and controlling of microplastics pollution, Lin Zhu et. al. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, Volume 255, 15 April 2023, 114818

Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events, Raffaele Marfella, et. al., N Engl J Med, 2024

Rapid biodegradation of microplastics generated from bio-based thermoplastic polyurethane, Marco N. Allemann, et. al., Scientific Reports, Volume 14, 2024