Plastics in Lake Geneva

💧 Plastic pollution of aquatic environments has been a worrying phenomenon since the 1970s. With global production set to reach 367 million tonnes by 2020, the use of plastic is steadily increasing.

📕 Aware of this growing problem, CIPEL (Commission Internationale pour la Protection des Eaux du Léman - International Commission for the Protection of Lake Geneva Waters) has taken action by including this issue in its action plan.

Since 2017, several scientific studies conducted by CIPEL have demonstrated that microplastics are everywhere in Lake Geneva: in the sediment at the bottom of the lake, 🐟 in the digestive systems of fish, 🏖️ on Swiss and French beaches.

🔍 In 2025, research will focus on Lake Geneva's tributaries: the rivers and streams that end their course in the lake. A close eye will also be kept on wastewater treatment plants, whose purpose is to purify wastewater before discharging it into waterways. 🏭

To better understand, let's recall the work that revealed the presence of microplastics in Lake Geneva. 👇