Microplastics are filling up our oceans, turning up everywhere from Antarctic ice sheets to the depths of ocean trenches. Unfortunately it is very hard to quantify the amount of microplastics entering our oceans, as these tiny particles are hard to track, what we do know is that any amount of these plastics can be dangerous to ocean wildlife and human health down the food chain. The analysis of plastics and microplastics is a new field in relation to other areas of environmental analysis. A number of scientific publications exist, but they do not apply a uniform analysis, which makes it difficult to compare the results. To address these challenges, Standards Australia has released AS ISO 24187 Principles for the analysis of microplastics present in the environment which sets out the key principles for the investigation of microplastics in the environment. It is open for public comment until 10 January 2025.
Standards Australia encourages views and input from a wide cross section of the public on a draft publication during the Public Comment stage. Create a free account when you Login to Drafts Open for Public Comment and search for the drafts of AS ISO 24187. It is open for Public Comment until 10 January 2025. More information on How to Open, Browse, and Comment on a draft standards in the Standard Australia Public Comment Portal Help Guide. AS IOS 24187 was prepared by the Standards Australia Committee ME-009 Microplastics and is identical with and has been reproduced from ISO 24187:2023.
As part to the CFA Standards Project, CFA supports a representative to the Standards Australia committee ME-009 Microplastics. The representative ensures the impact on consumers is always a central part of committee considerations, giving the Australian consumer greater confidence in the products, services, and systems they use. Find out more about consumers and standards and how you can get FREE limited access to Australian standards. Find out how you can Volunteer as a Representative of CFA on a Standards Australia committee.
The above news release was written by Regina Godfredson, Consumers’ Federation of Australia’s Standards Coordinator. Additionally, the ACCC is accepting feedback on the proposal to authorise supermarket cooperation on soft plastic recycling, submissions on the draft determination are due 24/01/2025. Find out more about the draft here.