Policy & Regulation

Yes, some laws regulate microplastics, but each covers a narrow slice. They ban microbeads in cosmetics, restrict particles added to products on purpose, oblige pellet handlers to prevent spills, order utilities to test water and set brake-particle limits for new cars. None that we found sets a dedicated limit for nanoplastics in air, water or soil.

One legal text does name them. California's 2020 definition of microplastics in drinking water reaches down to 1 nm and lists "nanoplastics" (1 nm to under 100 nm) as a size class¹. Its first testing phase reports source-water particles from 50 µm, or from the method's minimum size where that is smaller (20 µm by Raman spectroscopy)².

The EU product restriction has no lower size bound, so it can reach added nanoparticles in principle³. The global treaty is still being negotiated.

What is regulated today, and what is not

Four kinds of rule reach micro- and nanoplastics. Product rules ban particles added on purpose, from national microbead bans to the broader EU restriction. Supply-chain rules target pre-production pellets (nurdles), which the EU pellet regulation calls the third largest source of microplastics released unintentionally in the Union⁴. Monitoring rules require measurement in drinking water and wastewater, without limits.

Vehicle rules set the first limits on brake particles and a framework for tire abrasion limits that the EU has not yet filled⁵. Textile fibers face one binding rule that we found, in France, not yet enforceable⁶. General plastic laws act only indirectly: an item never sold cannot fragment⁷. Sources and fixes are covered on Solutions by System and Solutions by Approach.

Status words used on this page

• Negotiating: no agreed text exists.
• Proposed: a draft published for comment; not adopted.
• Adopted: formally approved by the legislature or agency.
• In force: legally valid; obligations may start later.
• Applying: obligations bind those addressed from that date.

Timeline from 2015 to 2027

1. 2015-12-28United States: Microbead-Free Waters Act adopted⁸
2. 2017-07-01United States: manufacturing ban on rinse-off cosmetics with microbeads applying⁸
3. 2018-01-01Canada: microbead ban for toiletries in force (manufacture and import)⁹
4. 2018-01-09England: microbead ban for rinse-off personal care products in force¹⁰
5. 2018-09-28California: SB 1422 enacted (drinking-water microplastics definition and testing)¹¹
6. 2019-06-05EU: Single-Use Plastics Directive adopted⁷
7. 2020-01-16China: microbead products to end, production by end 2020 and sale by end 2022¹²
8. 2020-02-10France: AGEC law adopted, with a washing-machine filter duty from 2025¹³
9. 2020-06-16California: legal definition of microplastics in drinking water, 1 nm to 5,000 µm¹
10. 2020Standards: ASTM D8332-20 and D8333-20 published (water sampling and sample preparation)^14,15
11. 2022-03-02UN: resolution 5/14 launches plastics treaty negotiations¹⁶
12. 2022-09-07California: drinking-water testing handbook adopted²
13. 2023Standards: ISO 24187:2023 published (principles for microplastic analysis)¹⁷
14. 2023-10-17EU: REACH restriction on synthetic polymer microparticles in force³
15. 2024-03-11EU: drinking-water microplastics method adopted¹⁸
16. 2024-04-24EU: Euro 7 adopted, with the first brake-particle limits⁵
17. 2024-11-27EU: wastewater directive recast adopted, with microplastics monitoring¹⁹
18. 2024-12-01UN: INC-5 in Busan closes without a treaty^20,21
19. 2025Standards: ISO 16094-2:2025 published (vibrational spectroscopy, low-solids water)²²
20. 2025-08-15UN: INC-5.2 in Geneva adjourns without consensus²⁰
21. 2025-11-12EU: pellet loss regulation adopted⁴
22. 2025-12-16EU: pellet loss regulation in force; general duty to avoid losses applying⁴
23. 2026-02-07UN: INC-5.3 elects Julio Cordano (Chile) as chair²⁰
24. 2026-04-06United States: EPA proposes listing microplastics as a candidate contaminant²³
25. 2026-05-18Standards: ISO/FDIS 16094-3 (thermal analysis) registered as a final draft²⁴
26. 2026-07-01United States: EPA proposes UCMR 6 without microplastics²⁵
27. 2026-07-30UN: draft UN Regulation No. 186 on tire abrasion notified to the parties²⁶
28. 2026-08-08UN: chair releases the Aid to Negotiations²⁷
29. 2026-10-06France: government confirms the filter decree is still unpublished⁶
30. 2026-11-29EU: Euro 7 applying to new car and van types⁵
31. 2027-03UN: INC-5.4 scheduled within the window 13 to 24 March 2027; dates and venue to be confirmed²⁸
32. 2027-10-17EU: REACH ban reaches rinse-off cosmetics³
33. 2027-12-17EU: main obligations of the pellet loss regulation applying⁴

The global plastics treaty is still being negotiated

On 2 March 2022 the UN Environment Assembly adopted resolution 5/14, "End plastic pollution", "recognizing that plastic pollution includes microplastics"¹⁶. It asked UNEP to convene an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) "with the ambition of completing its work by the end of 2024", on the full life cycle of plastic¹⁶.

Five sessions followed. The first three met in Punta del Este (28 November to 2 December 2022), Paris (29 May to 2 June 2023) and Nairobi (November 2023). The fourth and fifth met in Ottawa (23 to 29 April 2024) and Busan (25 November to 1 December 2024)²⁰. Busan ended without a treaty.

A resumed session in Geneva (INC-5.2) adjourned on 15 August 2025 because no consensus was achieved²⁰. After the chair resigned, a one-day procedural session on 7 February 2026 (INC-5.3) elected Ambassador Julio Cordano of Chile^20,29. UNEP keeps the official record²¹; its pages block automated access, so these session records come from the Geneva Environment Network.

The chair's Aid to Negotiations

On 8 August 2026 the chair released an "Aid to Negotiations", "an informal reference document" that "does not constitute a negotiated or agreed text"²⁷. Square brackets mark text still open. Article 1 brackets "human health" in the objective. Article 4 brackets two criteria for plastic products: chemicals of concern and intentionally added microplastics. Article 18(5) brackets a three-fourths majority vote as a last resort (level P)²⁷.

Article 6, on releases and leakages, asks parties to prevent and reduce releases of plastics "including microplastics", in unbracketed but unagreed text. There is no article on primary plastic production; only a bracketed preamble line calls current production unsustainable. Article 27 leaves entry into force at the 50th, 60th or 97th ratification (level P)²⁷.

Where positions differ

Brackets show where text is not agreed, not who holds which view, so attributions here rest on press reports. AFP reported that a majority of countries want legally binding measures to curb plastic production. A smaller bloc of mostly oil-producing states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Russia, prefers a focus on waste management³⁰.

On decision-making, AFP reported that some countries want every decision taken by consensus, while opponents argue that this lets a small minority block progress³⁰. On chemicals, the brackets in Articles 1 and 4 show no agreement on health-based criteria²⁷. We have not matched them to official national submissions and take no side.

Status on 3 November 2026

Negotiating. Informal heads-of-delegation meetings took place in Nairobi (30 June to 3 July 2026) and Bangkok (27 to 30 September 2026)^27,29. Cordano then said his "plan and expectation" was adoption at INC-5.4, if the agreed steps are followed³⁰. UNEP's notice of 2 June 2026 places INC-5.4 within 13 to 24 March 2027, with duration, dates and venue still to be confirmed (level P)²⁸.

The Aid says a second iteration will be prepared after Bangkok²⁷. The Meridian Institute reports that it was planned for November 2026²⁹; we found no official notice of it.

UNEP's invitation of 16 October 2026 confirms a third informal heads-of-delegation meeting at the United Nations Office at Nairobi on 28 to 30 January 2027, after regional meetings on 25 to 27 January (level P)³¹. As of 3 November 2026, no further session had taken place and we found no published second iteration (searched the archived UNEP record, Geneva Environment Network, AFP and news indexes).

European Union: one restriction and four other targets

Products: the REACH restriction

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 added entry 78 to Annex XVII of REACH, in force since 17 October 2023³. It bans placing synthetic polymer microparticles on the market on their own, or in mixtures at 0.01% by weight or more where they are added for a sought-after characteristic.

The legal definition covers solid polymers in particles of 5 mm or less in all dimensions, or in fiber-like particles up to 15 mm long with a length-to-diameter ratio above 3. It excludes unmodified natural polymers, polymers proven degradable or soluble (above 2 g/L) under Appendices 15 and 16, and carbon-free polymers (level P)³.

The definition has no lower size limit. Only when the concentration cannot be determined by available analytical methods or documentation are particles counted from 0.1 µm (fibers from 0.3 µm long) to check the 0.01% limit (paragraph 3)³. That is an enforcement fallback, not a floor, so added nanoscale particles fall inside the definition in principle, though the word nanoplastic never appears. The scientific definition is on What Is Nanoplastic.

Uses without a transition, such as cosmetics with microbeads, were banned at once. Rinse-off cosmetics follow from 17 October 2027, detergents and many farm products from 2028, and leave-on cosmetics from 2029. Plant protection products and infill for synthetic sports pitches follow from 2031, and lip, nail and make-up products from 17 October 2035³.

ECHA estimated that more than 42,000 metric tons (t) of intentionally added microplastics are released each year. It estimated that the restriction would avoid about 500,000 t over 20 years; both are agency estimates (level C)³.

Pellets

Regulation (EU) 2025/2365 was adopted on 12 November 2025 and entered into force on 16 December 2025. Some provisions applied that day: the general duty to avoid pellet losses and to contain and clean up any that occur (Article 3(1)), and the designation of national authorities (Article 16). Most obligations apply from 17 December 2027, and listed maritime provisions for shippers and vessels from 17 December 2028 (Article 26)⁴.

Operators handling 5 t of pellets or more a year need a risk management plan (Articles 1 and 5). Firms with sites handling at least 1,500 t a year must be certified: large firms by 17 December 2027, medium-sized by 17 December 2028, small by 17 December 2030 (Article 6). Member States may exempt permitted, regularly inspected sites from certification (Article 7), and EMAS-registered sites are exempt (Article 8)⁴.

Drinking water

Directive (EU) 2020/2184 required a method to measure microplastics "with a view to including them on the watch list" (Article 13(6))³². Delegated Decision (EU) 2024/1441 sets it: at least 1,000 liters filtered through 100 µm and 20 µm cut-offs, counting particles from 20 µm to 5 mm per cubic meter (level P)¹⁸. We found no act adding microplastics to the watch list (EU Publications Office search, 3 November 2026), so there is no EU-wide testing duty yet (level E).

Wastewater and sludge

Directive (EU) 2024/3019, adopted on 27 November 2024, entered into force on 1 January 2025. Member States must transpose its Articles 2 to 11 and 14 to 26, including the monitoring rules, by 31 July 2027 (Article 33)¹⁹. Article 21 sets three microplastic monitoring duties, with no limit (level P)¹⁹.

Article 21(3) requires monitoring of the presence of microplastics at plant inlets and outlets for agglomerations of 10,000 population equivalent (p.e.) and above. It adds sludge for agglomerations above 10,000 p.e. "when relevant", in particular when it is reused in agriculture. Article 21(2) adds storm water overflows and urban runoff from separate sewers in the agglomerations that need integrated management plans. Article 21(4) gives the Commission until 2 July 2027 to set the measurement methods¹⁹.

Vehicles: brakes and tires

Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 (Euro 7) calls tire emissions "the largest source of microplastics released into the environment", an estimate⁵.

Until 31 December 2029 it caps brake particles (PM10) at 7 mg/km for most new cars and vans and 3 mg/km for pure battery-electric ones. Heavier N1 Class III vans get 11 mg/km, or 5 mg/km if battery-electric. From 2030 a table follows a review and is still empty; from 2035 the limit is 3 mg/km for all cars and vans (Annex I Tables 4, 5 and 8)⁵.

These limits count all brake particles, not plastic. Euro 7 is adopted and has been in force since 28 May 2024. It applies to new car and van types from 29 November 2026 and to all new cars and vans from 29 November 2027 (Article 21). On 3 November 2026 it was therefore not yet applying (level P)⁵.

Tire rules apply to new passenger-car (C1) tire types from 1 July 2028, but the limit table is still empty in the consolidated text of 2 September 2026 (level P)⁵. Euro 7 leaves the values to UN WP.29, with an EU fallback (Article 14)⁵.

WP.29 agreed a draft UN Regulation No. 186 on passenger-car tire abrasion at its session of 22 to 26 June 2026³³. The UN Secretary-General notified it on 30 July 2026. It counts as adopted unless more than one-fifth of the 1958 Agreement's parties object within six months, and then enters into force (level P)²⁶. Its stages start in 2028, by secondary summaries; EU incorporation is a separate step, not reflected in the consolidated Euro 7 text of 2 September 2026^33,5.

Single-use plastics, for context

Directive (EU) 2019/904 bans some single-use items from 3 July 2021 and says "microplastics do not fall directly within the scope"⁷.

What each EU instrument covers

Data table

label	value	unit	source	products	pellets	drinking_water	wastewater	vehicles	nanoplastics
Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 (REACH entry 78)	in force; applying in steps 2023 to 2035		S-129	yes: intentionally added particles	partly: industrial-site reporting only	no	no	no	partly: no lower size bound; 0.1 µm counting fallback for enforcement
Regulation (EU) 2025/2365 (pellet losses)	in force; general duty applying since 16 Dec 2025; main obligations from 17 Dec 2027		S-130	no	yes: handling, transport, certification	no	no	no	no
Directive (EU) 2020/2184 with Decision (EU) 2024/1441 (drinking water)	in force; method adopted, no testing duty yet		S-131; S-132	no	no	partly: method 20 µm to 5 mm, watch-list listing pending	no	no	no
Directive (EU) 2024/3019 (urban wastewater)	in force; transposition by 31 Jul 2027		S-133	no	no	no	yes: monitoring at plant inlets and outlets, sludge when relevant, overflows and runoff; no limit	no	not specified: method due by 2 Jul 2027
Regulation (EU) 2024/1257 (Euro 7)	adopted, in force; applying to new car and van types from 29 Nov 2026		S-135	no	no	no	no	partly: brake PM10 limits; EU tire limits not yet set	no
Directive (EU) 2019/904 (single-use plastics)	in force; applying since 3 Jul 2021		S-134	indirect: bans some single-use items	no	no	no	no	no: microplastics outside direct scope

National and state laws

United States. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 28 December 2015 banned manufacturing rinse-off cosmetics with plastic microbeads, including toothpaste, from 1 July 2017. Interstate sale was banned from 1 July 2018; for cosmetics that are also nonprescription drugs, each date came a year later⁸. A microbead is defined by purpose: a solid plastic particle under 5 mm "intended to be used to exfoliate or cleanse"⁸.

In April 2026 the EPA proposed listing microplastics as a group on its draft Contaminant Candidate List 6, which it calls "a first step"; a listing sets no limit²³. Its proposed UCMR 6 monitoring rule leaves microplastics out despite a petition from seven governors, because "there is no validated EPA or consensus drinking water analytical method"²⁵. Both are proposed.

California. SB 1422 (2018) led to a legal definition in 2020 and a testing handbook in 2022^1,2. Phase I tested source water from fall 2023 to fall 2025, reporting particles from 50 µm or the method minimum if smaller (20 µm by Raman spectroscopy). Phase II, treated water down to 5 µm, is planned for fall 2026 to fall 2028, dates "approximate, not binding"². The state's page does not confirm that Phase II has started¹¹.

England, Canada, China. England banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products from 9 January 2018 (manufacture) and 19 June 2018 (supply)¹⁰. Canada banned them in toiletries from 1 January 2018 (manufacture and import) and 1 July 2018 (sale), a year later for natural health products and nonprescription drugs⁹. China set end-2020 for production and end-2022 for sale¹².

France. Article 79 of the AGEC law of 10 February 2020, as amended in August 2021, requires new washing machines to carry a plastic microfiber filter, or another solution, from 1 January 2025¹³.

The duty is adopted and in force but not applying: the implementing decree was still unpublished when the government answered parliament on 6 October 2026^6,34. It cited hard-to-check external devices, no European standard for filter performance and possible conflict with free movement of goods⁶.

Standards that make rules measurable

Rules are enforceable only if labs measure the same thing; methods are on How We Measure It.

• ISO 24187:2023: principles for analyzing environmental microplastics, with a size classification¹⁷.
• ISO 16094-2:2025: microplastics in low-solids water, including drinking water, by vibrational spectroscopy²².
• ISO/FDIS 16094-3: thermo-analytical methods, which report polymer type and mass rather than particle counts or sizes; registered as a final draft on 18 May 2026, with a ballot from 15 September 2026, and not published in the ISO record we could read (18 October 2026)²⁴.
• ASTM D8332-20 and D8333-20: collecting and preparing water samples for microplastic analysis^14,15.
• Decision (EU) 2024/1441: a legally binding method, not a voluntary standard¹⁸.

The EPA judges that no validated method yet exists for national drinking-water monitoring²⁵.

What no law yet covers

Nanoplastics. No instrument we reviewed sets a dedicated nanoplastic limit for air, drinking water, wastewater or soil (level E; texts on this page and a Federal Register search, 3 November 2026). The one rule that reaches them is a product rule: the REACH 0.01% restriction has no lower size bound, with a 0.1 µm counting fallback³. That is not an ambient quality standard.

The EU drinking-water method starts at 20 µm, and California's first phase reports from 50 µm, or 20 µm where the Raman method is used^18,2. The word "nanoplastic" appears in none of the seven EU texts listed (level P; full-text search, 3 November 2026).

Air, legacy stocks, people. In the jurisdictions reviewed (EU, US federal, California, England, Canada, France and China) we found no ambient air standard for micro- or nanoplastics. Euro 7 limits brake particles at the source, but it counts all brake dust and sets no air concentration. No text reviewed requires removing particles already in soils, sediments or the ocean, or measuring plastic in human blood or tissue (level E, same scope).

How this page is maintained

We list a rule only after reading its official text. Where an official site blocks automated access (UNEP, ISO, UNECE), we read an archived copy or an official listing and say so.

We plan to recheck the treaty process, EUR-Lex, the Federal Register and the French parliament after each INC session and at least monthly. News goes to This Week, sessions to Events & Conferences. Last check: 3 November 2026. Last change, same day: pellet application dates, Euro 7 classes and tire status, UN Regulation No. 186, and treaty text cited from the Aid itself.

Questions