Microplastics unintentionally released into the environment in the EU

Increase in microplastics unintentionally released into the environment every year in the EU.

DG Environment estimates that between 0.7-1.8 million tonnes of microplastics were unintentionally released into the environment in the EU in 2019, the EEA estimates this value has increased by 7-9 % in 2022.

The main sources of microplastics and the estimated released amounts are:

Paints: approx. 547 000 tonnes in 2019, which has grown approx. 11.2 % to 2022. Paints releases occur during application, wear and tear, or removal of paint. Approximately 21% of the 2.4 million tonnes of plastic polymers used paint in the EU in 2019, leaked into the environment in the form of microplastics. The increased microplastics released to the environment is assumed to be proportional to the increased use of polymers used in paints.

Tyres: approx.. 450 000 tonnes in 2019, which has grown approx. 5.3 % to 2022. Microplastic releases from tyres are generated as a consequence of the friction of tyres on road surfaces. Passenger cars make up the largest source of tyre wear particle emissions. The driving reason for increasing microplastics release is due to increased vehicle weight.

Pellets: approx. 112 000 tonnes in 2019, which has grown approx. 6.2 % to 2022. Pellets are small pieces of raw material used to produce plastic products, these are lost during the handling and transportation. Pellets are known to be eaten by a range of marine and coastal species and can cause physical harm or death. The major reason for the increase in microplastics release is due to an increase in the production and use of plastics.

Textiles: approx. 31 000 tonnes in 2019, which has changed by approx. -31.6–+7 % to 2022. Approximately 60% of textiles are made from plastics. Small textile fibers are lost during production, use, washing, drying, and waste handling of textiles. The microplastics release is estimated by the number of items of synthetic textiles clothing worn – these estimates vary significantly between studies.

(Source: European Commission, 2023; EEA, 2025)

Microplastics are bits of plastic which are less than 5 millimetres in size. They are found everywhere from mountain tops to the bottom of oceans, in the air, and even in our bodies. Once microplastics reach the environment they are extremely difficult to remove, they are also persistent and very mobile, therefore the accumulation of microplastics in the environment (and in our bodies) is a serious and growing concern. Microplastics can enter the environment either directly as microplastics (this is referred to as primary microplastics) or indirectly through the breakdown of larger plastic pollution items (secondary microplastics). Secondary microplastics represent the bulk of microplastics release and all plastic pollution eventually breaks into smaller and smaller pieces (Manshoven et al., 2022; European Commission, 2018). Primary microplastics, on the other hand, come from either ntentionally added microplastics, which are microplastics deliberately added in products, such as cosmetics or personal care products, or from unintentional release. Unintentionally release are microplastics emitted during the use-phased of products, such as textiles, tyres, or paints.

The Circular Economy Action Plan (COM(2020) 98 final), the Soil Strategy (COM/2021/699 final), the REACH restriction on microplastics intentionally added to products, the proposal for a Regulation on preventing plastic pellet losses to the environment as well as the negotiations on the Drinking Water Directive and Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive represent a growing number of actions contributing to the Zero Pollution Action Plan (COM/2021/400 final) target of reducing microplastic releases into the ocean by 30% by 2030.

Definition

Tonnes of microplastics emitted to the environment in the EU each year.

Methodology

· Data includes several estimates, impairing the reliability.

· Based on data from several studies.

· Data presented in this fiche comes from EEA’s Zero pollution monitoring assessment, the brochure on EU action against microplastic pollution published by DG Environment and the Report ETC/HE 2024/15.

Metadata

· Source:

· Brochure on EU action against microplastic pollution

· Zero pollution monitoring assessment | European zero pollution dashboards

· ETC HE Report 2024/15: Microplastic releases in the European Union — Eionet Portal

· Unit: tonnes of microplastics and change in %