Microplastics are fragments of plastic between 5 millimetres and 1 micrometre in size. Today, they are omnipresent in the environment and are a global concern.

They result from the fragmentation or abrasion of larger plastics (bottles, packaging, etc.) under the effect of UV rays, mechanical forces and animal or bacterial activity.  The main sources of microplastics¹ These include tyre abrasion, littering, poor waste management and plastic fibres released by our clothes. The microplastics released accumulate in water and soil.

Because of their small size and mass, microplastics can be transported by the winds on thousands of kilometres² and settle in remote areas. The project Clean Mont Blanc³, carried out by the Summit Foundation, AQUALTI and the University of Savoie Mont-Blanc, has documented their presence in 18 glacial torrents in the Mont-Blanc region, even though they are far from human activity.

This contamination is not trivial and has a number of environmental impacts:

• Microplastics carry persistent organic pollutants⁴ (POPs), either from plastic additives or absorbed into the environment.
• They are ingested by wildlife^{5, 6}. Their ingestion reduces food stimuli, causes digestive and reproductive problems, and slows growth. The pollutants contained in microplastics accumulate in trophic chains.
• Finally, they contribute to accelerate the melting of glaciers⁷ by increasing the absorption of solar rays. They therefore increase the temperature at the surface of glaciers.

So what can you do? There are a number of things you can do to limit emissions:

• Reduce the use of plastic packaging and ensure that it is recycled or disposed of correctly.
• In the mountains, take a bag for your rubbish, and use reusable containers and a water bottle rather than disposable bottles.
• In high-altitude restaurants, encourage the abandonment of single-use plastics in favour of sustainable alternatives.

Let's adopt the right behaviour and protect our environment from microplastics.

1. Padha, Shaveta, Rakesh Kumar, Anjali Dhar, and Prabhakar Sharma. «Microplastic Pollution in Mountain Terrains and Foothills: A Review on Source, Extraction, and Distribution of Microplastics in Remote Areas.» Environmental Research 207 (May 2022): 112232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112232.
2. Bergmann, Melanie, Sophia Mützel, Sebastian Primpke, Mine B. Tekman, Jürg Trachsel, and Gunnar Gerdts. «White and Wonderful? Microplastics Prevail in Snow from the Alps to the Arctic». Science Advances 5, n^o 8 (2019): eaax1157. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax1157.
3. Clean Mont Blanc - Summit Foundation. n.d. Accessed on 10 September 2025. https://summit-foundation.org/en/clean-mont-blanc/.
4. Gateuille, David, and Emmanuel Naffrechoux. «Transport of Persistent Organic Pollutants: Another Effect of Microplastic Pollution?» WIREs Water 9, nᵒ 5 (2022): e1600. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1600.
5. Bellasi, Arianna, Gilberto Binda, Andrea Pozzi, Silvia Galafassi, Pietro Volta, and Roberta Bettinetti. «Microplastic Contamination in Freshwater Environments: A Review, Focusing on Interactions with Sediments and Benthic Organisms». Environments 7, n^o 4 (2020): 30. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7040030.
6. Susanti, N K Y, A Mardiastuti, and Y Wardiatno. «Microplastics and the Impact of Plastic on Wildlife: A Literature Review. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 528, n^o 1 (2020): 012013. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/528/1/012013.
7. Padha, Shaveta, Rakesh Kumar, Anjali Dhar, and Prabhakar Sharma. «Microplastic Pollution in Mountain Terrains and Foothills: A Review on Source, Extraction, and Distribution of Microplastics in Remote Areas.» Environmental Research 207 (May 2022): 112232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.112232.