Risk Assessment Tools to Help Companies Handle Microplastics in Products and Food

Tiny plastic particles — smaller than a grain of sand — end up in our food, water, air, and even cosmetics. The problem is, nobody had reliable methods to measure them or figure out what they actually do inside the human body. PlasticsFatE brought together 28 research teams across Europe to develop and validate those missing measurement and testing methods, and built a web-based tool that lets you estimate the health risks of plastics throughout a product's entire lifecycle. Think of it as a microplastics risk calculator backed by four years of lab-validated science.

What needed solving

Companies across food, cosmetics, and textiles face mounting regulatory pressure around microplastic contamination, but lack reliable, validated methods to measure micro- and nano-plastics in their products and assess the actual health risks. Without standardized testing, businesses cannot demonstrate product safety to regulators or consumers, leaving them exposed to compliance failures and reputational damage as EU plastics regulations tighten.

What was built

A finalized web-based decision support system (PMCDS) that estimates human and environmental health risks along the lifecycle of plastic materials and products. Validated detection and measurement methods for micro- and nano-plastics in food, consumer products, human tissues, and environmental media, confirmed through inter-laboratory studies across 28 partner institutions.

Who needs this

Who can put this to work

Quick answers

Who built it

The PlasticsFatE consortium is large at 28 partners across 11 European countries plus the UK, giving it serious geographic reach and credibility. With 10 universities and 13 research organizations forming the backbone, this is a research-heavy consortium — the 18% industry ratio (5 companies, including 3 SMEs) is relatively low, which means the outputs lean toward scientific validation rather than market-ready commercial products. The coordinator, OPTIMAT LIMITED, is a UK-based SME specializing in materials consultancy, which is a positive sign for practical applicability. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the wide academic network means strong scientific backing, but you would likely need to work directly with the coordinator or industry partners to translate outputs into operational use.

• OPTIMAT LIMITEDCoordinator · UK
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA TOR VERGATAparticipant · IT
• INSTITUTO TECNOLOGICO DEL EMBALAJE, TRANSPORTE Y LOGISTICAparticipant · ES
• INNOSIEVE DIAGNOSTICS BVparticipant · NL
• REUTHER RUDOLFparticipant · DE
• DECHEMA GESELLSCHAFT FUR CHEMISCHETECHNIK UND BIOTECHNOLOGIEparticipant · DE
• FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITAET ERLANGEN-NUERNBERGparticipant · DE
• UNIVERSITEIT LEIDENparticipant · NL
• FORSCHUNGSVERBUND BERLIN EVparticipant · DE
• ETHNICON METSOVION POLYTECHNIONparticipant · EL
• EUROPEAN RESEARCH SERVICES GMBHparticipant · DE
• HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH - UFZparticipant · DE
• ECAMRICERT SRLparticipant · IT
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINOparticipant · IT
• FUNDACION GAIKERparticipant · ES
• AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICASparticipant · ES
• CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
• UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM UTRECHTparticipant · NL
• BUNDESANSTALT FUER MATERIALFORSCHUNG UND -PRUEFUNGparticipant · DE
• UNIVERSITAET FUER BODENKULTUR WIENparticipant · AT
• UNIVERSITE PARIS CITEparticipant · FR
• UNIVERSITAT BAYREUTHparticipant · DE
• UMWELTBUNDESAMTparticipant · DE
• DET NATIONALE FORSKNINGSCENTER FOR ARBEJDSMILJØparticipant · DK
• STATENS ARBEIDSMILJOINSTITUTTparticipant · NO
• UNIVERZA V LJUBLJANIparticipant · SI
• STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCHparticipant · NL