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Mar 25 min read

Bringing microplastics into the spotlight: Professor Richard Thompson




After writing about microplastics, I would be remiss not to mention the individual who first alerted the world to their presence and their harm to marine life, and who has become a (the?) leading expert on plastic pollution and marine litter. Having coined the term microplastics in 2004, Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS has also been dubbed “the godfather of microplastics.” I'm dubbing him a Garbage Hero.

 

Joseph Campbell famously advised, “follow your bliss.” In the case of Thompson, "follow your curiosity" seems equally advisable.

 

This story begins in 1993, when Thompson was a marine biologist working toward his PhD. Along the rocky shores of the Isle of Man, Thompson had set up experiments to study mollusks, limpets, and the microorganisms they consume. As he checked on the experiments each day, he found himself having to clear them of the litter that would accumulate, and most of it was plastic. These were pivotal days that changed the trajectory of his career.

 

Thompson began organizing beach cleanups with some of his colleagues, and as they collected litter, they logged their findings in a spreadsheet: Tire? Tick. Fishing net? Tick. Plastic bottle? Tick. And so on. While his colleagues were busy collecting obvious pieces of plastic litter, Richard was drawn to an abundance of tiny colored fragments in the sand. These fragments didn’t fit any of the categories on the spreadsheet, and he realized their presence wasn’t accounted for in any of the existing data on plastic litter.

 

He then began a study with several undergraduates that lead to the first paper on microplastics in the environment, published in 2004. (It was in this paper that the term microplastic was first used.) The paper created a frenzied response followed by dozens of interviews for print and radio. He and his team were also the first to show that marine animals ingest microplastics, and that the particles can translocate (move from one part of an organism to another). Other pioneering works include charting the global distribution of microplastics and a study showing microplastics as carriers for chemical contaminants. (BTW, in every interview I’ve watched where Professor Thompson is praised for his research, he always gives credit to his team. Truly a class act. 💙)

 

The efforts of Thompson and his team brought microplastics into the spotlight. Their research and engagement led to policies and legislation that protect against microplastic contamination, such as the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the world-leading ban in the UK on microbeads in cosmetics, and additional UK bans on the most polluting single-use plastics, including bags and cutlery.

 

While recognizing that plastics bring benefits to modern life, Thompson has sounded the alarm on how its pervasiveness has disturbed the ecosystem on a broad scale and that the research is a warning sign that we need to change our ways and use plastics more responsibly. Recently, Thompson helped establish the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty and was elected its Deputy Coordinator in January 2024, representing 300 scientists in 50 countries in conjunction with the United Nations’ efforts on the global plastics treaty.


He believes that the issue of plastic pollution is within our grasp to fix, largely due to the alignment of public policy and industrial sectors agreeing that the levels of plastic pollution are unsustainable. But a solution will require action from all of us. The challenge is how to retain the benefits of plastic while mitigating the unintended consequences. We can’t eliminate plastics from our lives, but we can use them more responsibly. To that effect, Thompson offers the following guidance:

 

  • Focus on reduction as the first step toward action. Foremost, we need to reduce our consumption of single-use plastic, shop locally, buy produce without packaging, grow our own food, buy sustainable clothing with natural fibers, and buy second hand. “It’s our problem. We shouldn’t leave it to someone else to solve.”

  • Cut down on unnecessary, avoidable, and problematic plastics. Consider items we didn’t need in the first place. “Single use carrier bags are an iconic symbol of our wastefulness. The problem is that we’ve become conditioned to have a throwaway bag provided when we go shopping. Microbeads are another unnecessary source. Did nobody in the industry ever wonder where they are all going and if they matter?”

  • Design for circularity. “Customers shouldn’t be faced with the ethical challenge of having to choose which type of packaging is better or worse for the environment. The public should also be able to dispose of plastic in the right way, but disposal is very confusing and needs to be simpler.” The business model needs to change so that products are designed with end of life cycle in mind and in a way that would eliminate the need for energy intensive technologies. In some cases, we need to switch to materials other than plastic. “We can’t rely on a smart environmental scientist spotting something that is poor industrial practice, counting it, supplying the evidence, delivering it to parliament in the hope that there might be legislation. It’s about thinking about things from the design stage and making sure we’re minimizing the impact on the one planet that we’ve got.”

  • Reduce the chemical additives in plastic manufacturing. The range of chemical additives is concerning and only some are regulated for direct use. Many are released to organisms upon ingestion of microplastics and reduce functions linked to health and biodiversity. We still don’t fully understand the implications to human health.

  • Don’t rely on cleanup efforts. Global plastic production amounts to 360-400 million tonnes every year, with 10% ending up in the ocean. Plastic pollution ranges from nanoplastics so small that equipment can’t detect them to pieces so large that they’re visible from space. The direct cost spent on cleanup efforts alone amounts to $6 to $19 billion per year, yet cleanup efforts aren't at scale and instead focus mainly on areas of financial import, such as ports, harbors, tourist areas, and small areas that affect wildlife.

 

Thompson is a professor of Marine Biology at University of Plymouth and there he leads the International Marine Litter Research Unit. Thompson studied at University of Newcastle and the University of Liverpool, where he was awarded a PhD in 1996. 

 

Awards and recognition


Sources


Image source: Tideline Art

 





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