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π Planet π Industry

Plastic pollution: quantifying the crisis to better act

3 episodes

1

Satellites are detecting plastic pollution in the ocean worldwide
2

Plastics and recycling: a toxic relationship?
3

How synthetic biology could help degrade plastic waste

Épisode 1/3

Satellites are detecting plastic pollution in the ocean worldwide

On January 27th, 2026

3 min reading time

Jérôme Benveniste

Chair of the COSPAR Scientific Committee on Space Studies of the Earth's Surface, Meteorology and Climate, formerly Senior Adviser at ESA

Audrey Hasson

Doctor of Physical Oceanography and Executive Director of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative

François Galgani

Senior Scientist at Ifremer, Specialist in the Marine Environment and Pollution

Key takeaways

Between 1950 and 2017, approximately 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic were produced and 7 billion tonnes became waste.
In 2021, the total amount accumulated in the oceans was estimated to between 75 and 199 million tonnes of plastic, which represents more than 80% of the debris present in aquatic systems.
Scientists use three techniques to quantify plastic debris and its movements: numerical models, in situ measurements and satellite monitoring.
Depending on the resolution of the device, satellites can detect plastic clusters with a minimum surface area of 5 m2.
The “plastics index” is a new indicator based on an object’s reflection in light, which makes it possible to extract the spectral signature of the plastic.

Dirty Oil Contaminated Plastic Container Environmental Pollution Waste Water Disaster Ecology sea land soil dark trash spill toxic earth ocean river shore beach

Épisode 2/3

Plastics and recycling: a toxic relationship?

On April 2nd, 2025

5 min reading time

Bethanie Carney Almroth

Professor of Environmental Science at University of Gothenburg

Baptiste Monsaingeon

Lecturer at University of Reims Champagne-Ardennes

Florian Pohl

Leader of Emmy Noether Research Group at University of Bayreuth

Key takeaways

The French government has identified plastic recycling as a major issue, with a view to improving knowledge and techniques for its reuse.
According to one report, up to 16,000 different chemicals can be used in plastic, a number of which are potentially harmful.
In France, less than a third of post-consumer plastic waste is collected, and only 14% of it is actually recycled.
The reuse of plastic comes up against technical limitations: the impossibility of sorting certain materials, environmental problems, lack of knowledge, etc.
For more effective recycling, the types of plastic used must be reduced to those that can be recycled, the number of chemicals used must be limited, etc.

Épisode 3/3

How synthetic biology could help degrade plastic waste

On March 9th, 2023

4 min reading time

Tania Louis

PhD in biology and Columnist at Polytechnique Insights

Key takeaways

390 million tons of plastics were produced in 2021, the majority of which will probably be dumped back into nature.
While plastics are a pollutant for most living things, some bacteria and fungi have acquired the ability to turn them into a source of energy.
Synthetic biology is one of the tools that could be used to limit the pollution linked to the production and use of plastics.
In particular, it proposes to apply engineering methods to molecular biology in order to “optimise living things”.
Combining synthetic biology with these micro-organisms could be a solution for recycling plastics.

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Plastic pollution: quantifying the crisis to better act

Satellites are detecting plastic pollution in the ocean worldwide

Key takeaways

Plastics and recycling: a toxic relationship?

Key takeaways

How synthetic biology could help degrade plastic waste

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