A comprehensive discussion on the complex role of plastics in society-nature relationships.

The anthology Living in the Plastic Age focuses on the multidimensional facets of plastics and microplastics from different disciplinary angles. Small plastic fragments (microplastics) and larger plastic waste can be found even on the remotest island. Plastic waste all over the planet is the visual footprint of humanity’s consumerism and mass production. Plastics shape the relationship between society and nature in such a profound way that we can today speak of the “Plastic Age.” This anthology aims to question the role of plastics in our society and the implications plastics have for the environment and human health. The detection of this emergent contaminant opens up a new field of scientific engagement for natural sciences on the effects of (micro-) plastics for the environment and the social sciences on new governance regimes on marine litter as well as on solution strategies to combat plastic waste.  
 

Johanna Kramm and Carolin Völker are research scientists at the Institute for Sociological Research in Frankfurt, Germany.
 

not specified