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MetricPollution, microplastics and hazardous substances

Synthetic polymer microparticles released by use

Measurement answer

What this metric measures

Synthetic polymer microparticles released by use is the estimated dry mass of synthetic polymer microparticles, or particles containing them, released across environmental compartments during a named use and transportation, after mitigation and before the material becomes waste.

Specification

Metric specification

Result format
Structured table
Unit
Structured table — see field-level units
Reporting basis
Previous-calendar-year flow
Aggregation
Same legal entity, use, year and value basis only; Option A and Option B are not additive
Pillar
Environmental
Topic
Pollution, microplastics and hazardous substances
Controlled domain
Pollution
Entity type
Metric

Reporting boundary

Qualifying REACH entry 78 uses for one legal entity and reporting year, combining releases across environmental compartments from use, storage, operational losses, incidents and transportation after mitigation. Retrieved material managed as waste is excluded.

Verified source occurrences

Framework coverage

This is one canonical metric. The bindings below show every verified framework occurrence without creating duplicate metric pages. Edition, disclosure, role, and relationship remain source-specific.

  • Adopting Disclosure

    EU laws and regulatory guidance

    Source evidence
    Publisher
    European Union
    Edition
    REACH Annex XVII entry 78 in force on 15 August 2026
    Requirement
    Not Specified
    Relationship
    Defines Disclosure
    Mapping outcome
    Direct Evidence
    Source locator
    Entry 78 paragraphs 11-12 covering annual release reporting by actor cohort and use
    Open official framework source

Value structure

Dimensions and units

Unit
Structured table — see field-level units
Reporting basis
Previous-calendar-year flow

Unit meaning: This metric is reported as a structured table; each field carries the unit stated in the table fields below.

Table fields and units

  • Legal entity, actor role, cohort year, regulated use, site and polymer identity
  • Value basis: SPM-only mass or particles containing SPM with concentration band
  • Released mass (kg SPM — kilograms dry mass; or t SPM — metric tonnes dry mass, where 1 t = 1,000 kg)
  • Transport inclusion, mitigation, incidents and waste-stage exclusion
  • Measurement or estimation method, source, reporting year and edition
  • Missing, below-threshold or not-applicable state and reason, never zero by default

Published dimensions

  • Synthetic polymer microparticle release row
  • Reporting legal entity
  • Actor role and applicable reporting-cohort start year
  • Regulated use and site
  • Polymer identity class
  • SPM-only or particles-containing-SPM value basis
  • Concentration band for particles-containing-SPM
  • Dry-mass basis
  • Transport inclusion, mitigation and waste-stage exclusion
  • Estimation method, source and edition

Disclosure method

Formula information

Status
Not applicable
Formula type
Structured Disclosure

Disclosure form

No single formula

Populate the structured fields from qualifying source observations and retain each field-level unit, boundary, status, and method; do not collapse the disclosure into one calculated value.

Verified sources

Evidence and status sources

Sustopedia checked each record-specific claim directly against primary publisher material. Labels distinguish current measurement authority from future compatibility and corroborative, legal, edition, or method status context. Corroborative evidence can support a stated limitation but cannot establish the core measurement by itself.

Measurement evidence

  • Measurement evidenceChecked 15 August 2026

    Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 restricting synthetic polymer microparticles

    Publisher
    European Union
    Edition
    REACH Annex XVII entry 78 in force on 15 August 2026
    Locator
    Entry 78 paragraphs 11-12 covering annual release reporting by actor cohort and use

    Supports: Official publisher reference linked specifically to the Sustopedia metric “Synthetic polymer microparticles released by use”; interpret it with the source-edition basis and limitations shown on this page.

    Open official source

Use with context

Interpretation boundaries

Method disclosures required

Source-edition basis: REACH entry 78 under Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 and ECHA synthetic polymer microparticle reporting guidance version 1.1, April 2026; current and adopted-pending ESRS structures remain separately labelled.

  • Legal entity, actor role, applicable cohort year, regulated use and site
  • Polymer identity and SPM-only or particles-containing-SPM value basis
  • Concentration band when the particles-containing-SPM basis is used
  • Dry mass in kilograms below one metric tonne or metric tonnes above it, with 1 t defined as 1,000 kg
  • Transport inclusion, mitigation state, incident treatment and waste-stage exclusion
  • Estimation or measurement method, source, reporting year and method edition
  • Controls preventing addition across value bases, legal entities, uses or duplicated compartment detail

Record-specific limitations

  • The disclosed value may be estimated rather than directly measured, and the allowed estimation method is not standardised.
  • SPM-only mass and particles-containing-SPM mass are incompatible value bases and must not be added.
  • The required aggregate can hide environmental-medium detail and differs by legal entity, use and actor cohort.
  • Actor coverage changes from 2026 to 2027 and must remain edition- and cohort-labelled.

Interpret this metric with the stated reporting boundary, period convention, value shape, and unit. Results prepared with different boundaries or conventions may not be directly comparable.

Measurement evidence supports the core record-specific claims described above. Corroborative evidence can support limitations, while compatibility and status sources provide their separately labelled context. None of these cards by itself determines an organisation's legal applicability, filing readiness, assurance status, or compliance conclusion.