Nordic policy and stakeholder forum addressing plastics in Nordic agriculture

8 December 2025

Date: 8 December 2025 14.00-15.30 CET

Online webinar, link provided upon registration

Registration: Nordic policy and stakeholder forum addressing plastics in Nordic agriculture – Fill in form

The Challenge of Soil Plastic Pollution for the Nordic Environment, Agriculture, and Society

We cordially invite you to the second forum meeting, to be held online on December 8th 14.00-15.30 CET. Online link will be provided following registration. The webinar is organized by the Nordic AGRIFOODPLAST Network under the Nordic Agri Research funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers, the International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution IKHAPP, and NIVA The Norwegian Institute for Water Research.

Soil plastic pollution has emerged as a critical global environmental concern. Plastics have likely become the most abundant anthropogenic contaminants in soils, posing risks to soil health, food safety, and long-term agricultural productivity. By affecting the productivity and health of food systems, soil plastic pollution also becomes a concern for human health.  Scientific research indicates that European soils, hereunder especially agricultural soils, are heavily contaminated by microplastic. A pilot monitoring study (Kernchen et al, forthcoming) has highlighted that over 50% of the European soils analysed so far have a level of plastic contamination that exceeds effect thresholds for soil or plant health.

This issue is increasingly gaining policy attention in Europe, and globally. The EU has recently approved the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law, which will set the ground to initiate monitoring of plastic pollution in soil across Europe. This attests to the EC’s recognition of soil plastic pollution as a potential threat to environments, food production, and health. At a global level, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have recently launched a call for action to reduce the potential negative effects of plastics used in agricultural practices, such as the extensive use and waste generation of plastic inputs at farms, and the use of microplastic contaminated biosolids as fertilisers. These are also pressing issues for maintaining healthy agricultural soils and environments in the Nordics.

Objectives of upcoming forum meeting

  1. Raise awareness on the extent and implications of soil plastic pollution in Nordic agricultural and environmental systems.
  2. Share knowledge on monitoring methodologies, data availability, and research gaps in assessing soil plastic contamination.
  3. Discuss policy coherence between EU and national frameworks – particularly around the EU Soil Monitoring Law, the Circular Economy Action Plan, and the implementation by Nordic authorities (e.g., food safety authorities, agricultural directorates, and environmental agencies).
  4. Evaluate challenges related to alternative to plastics, including biobased and biodegradable plastics, and their suitability for Nordic climatic and environmental conditions.
  5. Identify pathways for circularity, improved waste management, and reduction of critical plastic sources such as agricultural films, sewage sludge, compost

Rationale for a Nordic approach

Nordic countries, known for their strong environmental governance and sustainable agricultural practices, face a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to address this emerging challenge. Given the current political priorities in an unstable international landscape, the Nordic countries have committed to expand domestic food production. This will increase plastic use, in both volume and in intensity, in Nordic agriculture. While good practice examples exist in the Nordics, demonstrating a circular use of certain types of plastic items in farming, there are circularity challenges related to rising fractions of plastic items used, and pollution challenges related to plastic material quality, farmer labour demands, and microplastic contamination of other farming inputs. A substantial fraction of the agricultural plastic in use in the Nordics cannot be recycled, either because of costs, lack of infrastructure, or because the material is heavily contaminated by soils and chemical residues. Preventing mismanagement currently represents a cost, often borne by farmers and waste managers. Similarly, the use of contaminated biosolids such as sewage sludge, compost, or digestates from biogas production is expanding in the Nordic, driven by policies that incentivise circularity. Finally, while the shift to biodegradable materials reduces waste management challenges, there is evidence that environmental conditions in the Nordics do not promote rapid degradation, causing accumulation of plastic and chemical residues in soil.

The region must ensure that policy and practice evolve to prevent long-term soil degradation, which will affect food production quantity and quality. This forum will bring together policymakers, environmental and agricultural agencies, and researchers to share the latest advances in knowledge on this topic, highlight knowledge gaps, and list priorities for protecting agriculture and soil health in the Nordics.

The event will serve as a preparatory dialogue toward a co-produced report that will be shared with policy makers across the Nordic countries, as a tool to informing coordinated regional and European actions.

Webinar programme and presenters:

  • EU Soil Monitoring Law (Mirco Barbero, DG Environment)
  • FAO report: State of research on the impacts of plastic pollution on soil health and crops (Luca Nizzetto, IKHAPP/NIVA)
  • Soil microplastics monitoring methods and results from the pilot monitoring study in the EU (Rachel Hurley, NIVA)
  • Microplastic monitoring in the Nordics (TBA)
  • Panel debate
  • Q&A from participants

While the geographical focus of the webinar if the Nordic region, we welcome policy makers, stakeholders, researchers and concerned citizens from across the globe to learn more about spoil plastic pollution and policy developments to tackle the issue.

Please register your participation here: Nordic policy and stakeholder forum addressing plastics in Nordic agriculture – Fill in form