Acknowledgements

Philippe Jarne

Preface

Angèle Préville and Philippe Bolo

General introduction

Fabienne Lagarde and Pascale Fabre

Plastic: a revolutionary material

Plastics at the confluence of the triple planetary crisis of climate, pollution and biodiversity

From plastic presence to plastic impacts

PART 1 - A world wrapped in plastic

Introduction

Chapter 1 - What are plastics and their debris?

Roxane Danquigny, Cloé Veclin, Javier Jimenez-Lamana, Bruno Grassl and Stéphanie Reynaud

Plastic materials: history, production and uses

When plastics become waste

Plastic waste: from macroplastics to nanoplastics

Chapter 2 - Environmental monitoring: how to quantify, characterise and track plastic pollution?

Marie-France Dignac, Wolfgang Ludwig, Philippe Kerhervé, Bruno Charrière, Gaël Le Roux, Gaëlle Darmon, Franck Lartaud and Jean-Christophe Auguet

Microplastics in soils: sources, levels and fate

Plastics in rivers: tracking their transport and measuring inputs into the sea

Mass balance and the mountainous critical zone: quantification in an experimental catchment area

Identifying sentinels of environmental plastic pollution

Conclusion

References

Part 2 - Impacts on organisms

Introduction

Chapter 1- Impacts on terrestrial organisms

Camille Larue, Franck Gilbert, Gaëlle Darmon and Claude Miaud

Interactions between plastic particles and terrestrial plants

Impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem engineers

Impacts on terrestrial and watercourse wildlife

Chapter 2 - Impacts on marine organisms

Karen D. McCoy, Marion Vittecoq, Xavier Cousin, Gaëlle Darmon, Claude Miaud, Jean-Christophe Auguet and Franck Lartaud

Seabirds as model species for plastic pollution

Impacts on fish

Plastic ingestion in sea turtles

Impacts on marine ecosystem engineers

Entanglement phenomena: direct impacts on marine organisms

Conclusion

References

Part 3 - Effects on ecosystems

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Impacts on soil functions

Marie-France Dignac

Impacts on soil biodiversity

Impacts on plant production

Disruption of the biogeochemical cycles that affect nutrient cycles for plants

Impacts on other soil functions: water content, density, porosity

The impact of chemicals in plastics: a lesser-known threat

Chapter 2 - Impacts on coastal ecosystems and marine food webs

Ika Paul-Pont, Kevin Tallec and Arnaud Huvet

Coastal ecosystems: a pathway for plastic debris to reach the sea

Impacts on phytoplankton, the first link in the food chain

Trophic transfer

Impacts on coastal ecosystem engineers

Seafood contamination and food safety

Chapter 3 - Impacts on seafloor

François Galgani

A heterogeneous distribution

Fishing gear

Significant impacts on ecosystems

Future outlook

Chapter 4 - Plastics, vectors of harmful microorganisms and pollutants

Ika Paul-Pont, Gaëtan Burgaud, Jean-François Briand, Arnaud Huvet and Mélanie Ourgaud

Plastics: floating rafts acting as new ecological niches

Plastics as sources and vectors of contaminant cocktails

Conclusion

References

Part 4 - The plastic transition: regulatory obligations, material alternatives and their implications for biodiversity

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Regulatory aspects

Loïc Peyen and François Galgani

Existing regulations and requirements

How should plastic be regulated in the future?

Chapter 2 - Working towards circular plastic waste management to protect biodiversity

Emmanuelle Gastaldi

The end-of-life of plastic packaging

Plastic waste management and the circular economy

Chapter 3 - Are biodegradable plastics a solution to plastic pollution?

Jean-François Ghiglione

How do we define a biodegradable plastic?

Are these plastics biodegradable in all environments?

What should biodegradable plastics be used for?

Can it be dangerous to use biodegradable plastics?

How is plastic biodegradability measured?

What are the limitations of standard biodegradability tests?

Conclusion

References