Microplastics risk at the interface of circular economy, quality and food safety in Poland: a case study
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to explore the scope of undertaken and planned actions related to microplastics risk in one of the biggest polish food sector company for better understanding the relations between quality management, food safety management and circular economy. To explore the planed and undertaken actions in relation to microplastics risk a case study was performed. It was performed in one of the leading polish organization producing and selling food products of an international range of operation. During the study representative of the leadership of the organization was interviewed as well as relevant instructions and records provided by the organization were analysed. Results indicate that the issue of microplastics for studied company is a marginal problem, that has not been given much attention so far. On the other hand, significant changes at the global level such as circular economy strategy lead to changes in the design of products (mainly packaging). To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the microplastics risk from the perspective of the management systems implemented in food sector organization with the circular economy context. This study enriches current knowledge about circular economy and its integration with other management systems in the microplastics elimination context.
Keyword : microplastics, circular economy, management standard, food safety, ISO 9001, HACCP, sustainability
How to Cite
Kafel, P., Nowicki, P., & Balon, U. (2021). Microplastics risk at the interface of circular economy, quality and food safety in Poland: a case study. Business: Theory and Practice, 22(2), 436-443. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2021.12786
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
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Ghisellini, P., Cialani, C., & Ulgiati, S. (2016). A review on circular economy: The expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, 11–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007
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Henson, S., & Heasman, M. (1998). Food safety regulation and the firm: understanding the compliance process. Food Policy, 23(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-9192(98)00015-3
ISO. (2015a). ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems. Requirements. International Organization for Standardization.
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ISO. (2020). ISO 14009:2020 Environmental management systems – Guidelines for incorporating material circulation in design and development. International Organization for Standardization.
Isobe, A., Iwasaki, S., Uchida, K., & Tokai, T. (2019). Abundance of non-conservative microplastics in the upper ocean from 1957 to 2066. Nature Communications, 10(1), 417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08316-9
Isobe, A., Kubo, K., Tamura, Y., Kako, S., Nakashima, E., & Fujii, N. (2014). Selective transport of microplastics and mesoplastics by drifting in coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 89(1–2), 324–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.09.041
Isobe, A., Uchida, K., Tokai, T., & Iwasaki, S. (2015). East Asian seas: A hot spot of pelagic microplastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 101(2), 618–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.10.042
Jamieson, A. J., Brooks, L. S. R., Reid, W. D. K., Piertney, S. B., Narayanaswamy, B. E., & Linley, T. D. (2019). Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth. Royal Society Open Science, 6(2), 180667. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180667
Kafel, P. (2017). Integracja systemów zarządzania. Trendy, zastosowania, kierunki doskonalenia. Wydawnictwo UEK Kraków.
Kafel, P., & Sikora, T. (2014). The level of management maturity in the Polish food sector and its relation to financial performance. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 25(5–6), 650–663. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2013.876182
Kosuth, M., Mason, S. A., & Wattenberg, E. V. (2018). Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt. PLOS ONE, 13(4), e0194970. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194970
Li, L., Zhou, Q., Yin, N., Tu, C., & Luo, Y. (2019). Uptake and accumulation of microplastics in an edible plant. Chinese Science Bulletin, 64(9), 928–934. https://doi.org/10.1360/N972018-00845
Liu, E. K., He, W. Q., & Yan, C. R. (2014). ‘White revolution’ to ‘white pollution’ – agricultural plastic film mulch in China. Environmental Research Letters, 9(9), 091001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/9/091001
Lu, Y., Zhang, Y., Deng, Y., Jiang, W., Zhao, Y., Geng, J., Ding, L., & Ren, H. (2016). Uptake and accumulation of polystyrene microplastics in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and toxic effects in liver. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(7), 4054–4060. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b00183
Lusher, A. L., Burke, A., O’Connor, I., & Officer, R. (2014). Microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean: Validated and opportunistic sampling. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 88(1–2), 325–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.023
Lusher, A., Hollman, P., & Mendozal, J. (2017). Microplastics in fisheries and aquaculture: status of knowledge on their occurrence and implications for aquatic organisms and food safety. In FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 615.
Nowicki, P., Kafel, P., Balon, U., & Wojnarowska, M. (2020). Circular economy’s standardized management systems. Choosing the best practice. Evidence from Poland. International Journal for Quality Research, 14, 1115–1128. https://doi.org/10.24874/IJQR14.04-08
Prata, J. C., da Costa, J. P., Lopes, I., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. (2020). Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible human health effects. Science of The Total Environment, 702, 134455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134455
Robertson, G. L. (2013). Food Packaging. Principles and practice. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
Qi, Y., Yang, X., Pelaez, A. M., Huerta Lwanga, E., Beriot, N., Gertsen, H., Garbeva, P., & Geissen, V. (2018). Macro- and micro- plastics in soil-plant system: Effects of plastic mulch film residues on wheat (Triticum aestivum) growth. Science of The Total Environment, 645, 1048–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.229
Schymanski, D., Goldbeck, C., Humpf, H. U., & Fürst, P. (2018). Analysis of microplastics in water by micro-Raman spectroscopy: Release of plastic particles from different packaging into mineral water. Water Research, 129, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.11.011
Smith, M., Love, D. C., Rochman, C. M., & Neff, R. A. (2018). Microplastics in seafood and the implications for human health. Current Environmental Health Reports, 5(3), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z
Steinmetz, Z., Wollmann, C., Schaefer, M., Buchmann, C., David, J., Tröger, J., Munoz, K., Frör, O., & Schaumann, G. E. (2016). Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation? Science of The Total Environment, 550, 690–705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.153
Ünal, E., Urbinati, A., & Chiaroni, D. (2018). Managerial practices for designing circular economy business models. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 30(3), 561–589. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-02-2018-0061
Wesch, C., Elert, A. M., Wörner, M., Braun, U., Klein, R., & Paulus, M. (2017). Assuring quality in microplastic monitoring: About the value of clean-air devices as essentials for verified data. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 5424. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05838-4
World Health Organization. (2019). Microplastics in drinkingwater. Geneva, Switzerland. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research. Design and methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
Bergmann, M., Mützel, S., Primpke, S., Tekman, M. B., Trachsel, J., & Gerdts, G. (2019). White and wonderful? Microplastics prevail in snow from the Alps to the Arctic. Science Advances, 5(8), eaax1157. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax1157
Brough, M., Davies, B., & Johnstone, E. (2016). Inside the black box of food safety: a qualitative study of ‘non-compliance’ among food businesses. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 22(1), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.1071/HE15013
Cai, L., Wang, J., Peng, J., Tan, Z., Zhan, Z., Tan, X., & Chen, Q. (2017). Characteristic of microplastics in the atmospheric fallout from Dongguan city, China: preliminary research and first evidence. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(32), 24928–24935. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06979-x
Carpenter, E. J., Anderson, S. J., Harvey, G. R., Miklas, H. P., & Peck, B. B. (1972). Polystyrene spherules in coastal waters. Science, 178(4062), 749–750. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.178.4062.749
Council Regulation (EC). (2007). No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Regulation (EEC), No 2092/91, OJ L 189, 20.7.2007 (pp. 1–23).
Cozar, A., Echevarria, F., Gonzalez-Gordillo, J. I., Irigoien, X., Ubeda, B., Hernandez-Leon, S., Palma, A. T., Navarro, S., García-de-Lomas, J., Ruiz, A., Fernández-de-Puelles, M. L., & Duarte, C. M. (2014). Plastic debris in the open ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(28), 10239–10244. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1314705111
Dehghani, S., Moore, F., & Akhbarizadeh, R. (2017). Microplastic pollution in deposited urban dust, Tehran metropolis, Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(25), 20360–20371. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9674-1
Deng, Y., Zhang, Y., Lemos, B., & Ren, H. (2017). Tissue accumulation of microplastics in mice and biomarker responses suggest widespread health risks of exposure. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 46687. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep46687
Dris, R., Gasperi, J., Mirande, C., Mandin, C., Guerrouache, M., Langlois, V., & Tassin, B. (2017). A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments. Environmental Pollution, 221, 453–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2016.12.013
Dris, R., Gasperi, J., Saad, M., Mirande, C., & Tassin, B. (2016). Synthetic fibers in atmospheric fallout: A source of microplastics in the environment? Marine Pollution Bulletin, 104(1–2), 290–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.092
EASAC. (2020). Packaging plastics in the circular economy. EASAC policy report 39. Jägerberg, Germany.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMAF). (2015). Towards a circular economy: business rationale for an accelerated transition. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
EU. (2018). Communication from the Commission; A European Strategy for Plastic in a Circular Economy.
EU. (2019). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European economic and social committee and the committee of the regions. The European Green Deal.
European Commision. (2015). Communication of 2.12.2015 on an EU action plan for the circular economy.
Gasperi, J., Wright, S. L., Dris, R., Collard, F., Mandin, C., Guerrouache, M., Langlois, V., Kelly, F. J., & Tassin, B. (2018). Microplastics in air: Are we breathing it in? Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health, 1, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2017.10.002
Geissdoerfer, M., Savaget, P., Bocken, N. M. P., & Hultink, E. J. (2017). The circular economy – a new sustainability paradigm? Journal of Cleaner Production, 143, 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048
Ghisellini, P., Cialani, C., & Ulgiati, S. (2016). A review on circular economy: The expected transition to a balanced interplay of environmental and economic systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 114, 11–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.007
Goldstein, M. C., Rosenberg, M., & Cheng, L. (2012). Increased oceanic microplastic debris enhances oviposition in an endemic pelagic insect. Biology Letters, 8(5), 817–820. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0298
Henson, S., & Heasman, M. (1998). Food safety regulation and the firm: understanding the compliance process. Food Policy, 23(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-9192(98)00015-3
ISO. (2015a). ISO 9001:2015 Quality management systems. Requirements. International Organization for Standardization.
ISO. (2015b). ISO 9000:2015 Quality management systems. Fundamentals and vocabulary. International Organization for Standardization.
ISO. (2018). ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain. International Organization for Standardization.
ISO. (2020). ISO 14009:2020 Environmental management systems – Guidelines for incorporating material circulation in design and development. International Organization for Standardization.
Isobe, A., Iwasaki, S., Uchida, K., & Tokai, T. (2019). Abundance of non-conservative microplastics in the upper ocean from 1957 to 2066. Nature Communications, 10(1), 417. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08316-9
Isobe, A., Kubo, K., Tamura, Y., Kako, S., Nakashima, E., & Fujii, N. (2014). Selective transport of microplastics and mesoplastics by drifting in coastal waters. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 89(1–2), 324–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.09.041
Isobe, A., Uchida, K., Tokai, T., & Iwasaki, S. (2015). East Asian seas: A hot spot of pelagic microplastics. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 101(2), 618–623. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.10.042
Jamieson, A. J., Brooks, L. S. R., Reid, W. D. K., Piertney, S. B., Narayanaswamy, B. E., & Linley, T. D. (2019). Microplastics and synthetic particles ingested by deep-sea amphipods in six of the deepest marine ecosystems on Earth. Royal Society Open Science, 6(2), 180667. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180667
Kafel, P. (2017). Integracja systemów zarządzania. Trendy, zastosowania, kierunki doskonalenia. Wydawnictwo UEK Kraków.
Kafel, P., & Sikora, T. (2014). The level of management maturity in the Polish food sector and its relation to financial performance. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 25(5–6), 650–663. https://doi.org/10.1080/14783363.2013.876182
Kosuth, M., Mason, S. A., & Wattenberg, E. V. (2018). Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt. PLOS ONE, 13(4), e0194970. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194970
Li, L., Zhou, Q., Yin, N., Tu, C., & Luo, Y. (2019). Uptake and accumulation of microplastics in an edible plant. Chinese Science Bulletin, 64(9), 928–934. https://doi.org/10.1360/N972018-00845
Liu, E. K., He, W. Q., & Yan, C. R. (2014). ‘White revolution’ to ‘white pollution’ – agricultural plastic film mulch in China. Environmental Research Letters, 9(9), 091001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/9/091001
Lu, Y., Zhang, Y., Deng, Y., Jiang, W., Zhao, Y., Geng, J., Ding, L., & Ren, H. (2016). Uptake and accumulation of polystyrene microplastics in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and toxic effects in liver. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(7), 4054–4060. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b00183
Lusher, A. L., Burke, A., O’Connor, I., & Officer, R. (2014). Microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean: Validated and opportunistic sampling. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 88(1–2), 325–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.08.023
Lusher, A., Hollman, P., & Mendozal, J. (2017). Microplastics in fisheries and aquaculture: status of knowledge on their occurrence and implications for aquatic organisms and food safety. In FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 615.
Nowicki, P., Kafel, P., Balon, U., & Wojnarowska, M. (2020). Circular economy’s standardized management systems. Choosing the best practice. Evidence from Poland. International Journal for Quality Research, 14, 1115–1128. https://doi.org/10.24874/IJQR14.04-08
Prata, J. C., da Costa, J. P., Lopes, I., Duarte, A. C., & Rocha-Santos, T. (2020). Environmental exposure to microplastics: An overview on possible human health effects. Science of The Total Environment, 702, 134455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134455
Robertson, G. L. (2013). Food Packaging. Principles and practice. CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group.
Qi, Y., Yang, X., Pelaez, A. M., Huerta Lwanga, E., Beriot, N., Gertsen, H., Garbeva, P., & Geissen, V. (2018). Macro- and micro- plastics in soil-plant system: Effects of plastic mulch film residues on wheat (Triticum aestivum) growth. Science of The Total Environment, 645, 1048–1056. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.229
Schymanski, D., Goldbeck, C., Humpf, H. U., & Fürst, P. (2018). Analysis of microplastics in water by micro-Raman spectroscopy: Release of plastic particles from different packaging into mineral water. Water Research, 129, 154–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2017.11.011
Smith, M., Love, D. C., Rochman, C. M., & Neff, R. A. (2018). Microplastics in seafood and the implications for human health. Current Environmental Health Reports, 5(3), 375–386. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0206-z
Steinmetz, Z., Wollmann, C., Schaefer, M., Buchmann, C., David, J., Tröger, J., Munoz, K., Frör, O., & Schaumann, G. E. (2016). Plastic mulching in agriculture. Trading short-term agronomic benefits for long-term soil degradation? Science of The Total Environment, 550, 690–705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.01.153
Ünal, E., Urbinati, A., & Chiaroni, D. (2018). Managerial practices for designing circular economy business models. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, 30(3), 561–589. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMTM-02-2018-0061
Wesch, C., Elert, A. M., Wörner, M., Braun, U., Klein, R., & Paulus, M. (2017). Assuring quality in microplastic monitoring: About the value of clean-air devices as essentials for verified data. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 5424. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05838-4
World Health Organization. (2019). Microplastics in drinkingwater. Geneva, Switzerland. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
Yin, R. K. (2009). Case study research. Design and methods (4th ed.). Sage Publications.