Denmark is leading the way in the green transition. The government's tripartite agreement on green transition, which focuses on reducing our CO2 emissions, is an excellent example of political determination and ambition.  

However, while we celebrate this milestone, there are areas where we, as a society, are falling behind. One such area is microplastics. Recently, the UN attempted to negotiate a global agreement on plastic pollution – an important initiative that, unfortunately, did not succeed. Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental challenges we face, and the consequences are enormous.Microplastics, the tiny plastic particles generated from car tires, clothing, and packaging, contaminate our environment and pose a hidden threat to our water systems.  

The DanishRegions have highlighted that half of our drinking water wells are already contaminated with various substances ⁽¹⁾. This should be cause for concern. We can no longer afford to focus solely on CO2 and energy when discussing the green transition – we must also take microplastics seriously.  

Microplastics: An Overlooked Problem  

A significant portion of the microplastics that end up in nature comes from car tires. According to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, tires alone account for around 60% of the total microplastic pollution in the environment⁽²⁾. Every time we drive, our tires wear down, and the tiny particles are washed into nature by rainwater and runoff. They eventually end up in our water systems, affecting wildlife and, ultimately, our drinking water.  

Regulation is Coming, but Consumers Can Act Now  

With the upcoming EURO 7 standard, for the first time, there will be requirements for car emissions of microplastics and brake dust ⁽³⁾. This is a positivedevelopment, but we are still waiting to see how this will translate into practical measures. Until clear guidelines are in place, there is fortunately much that individual consumers can do. Tire selection is one of the most effective ways to reduce microplastic emissions. There is a significant difference in how much microplastic different tires leave on the road. Cheap tires from low-quality manufacturers emit far more microplastics than tires from larger producers, who often focus on durability and sustainability in their production. In fact, the difference can be as much as 300%, according to analyses ⁽⁴⁾.  

Microplasticpollution is not just an environmental issue – it is also a threat to public health and, ultimately, our access to clean drinking water. Therefore, it is crucial that microplastics rise higher on the political agenda, both nationally and internationally.  

I have personally made it my company's mission to develop solutions that can filtermicroplastics and other harmful particles from rainwater before they reach our environment. But no one can tackle this issue alone. This is a call to action for politicians concerned with water systems. Addressing this challenge requires collaboration between businesses, authorities, and citizens.  

We Danes have already shown that we can unite on climate issues – now we must show that we can also act on plastic.

^Sources:

^{1) https://www.regioner.dk/services/nyheder/2024/februar/over-halvdelen-af-drikkevandsboringerne-i-danmark-er-forurenet/}  

^{2) https://mst.dk/borger/affald-og-forurening/sortering-af-affald/plastik}  

^{3) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231207IPR15740/euro-7-deal-on-new-eu-rules-to-reduce-road-transport-emissions}

^{4) https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/ausstattung-technik-zubehoer/reifen/reifenkauf/reifenabrieb-mikroplastik/}

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Article in Danish

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