Avenir Commun Durable , true to its original mission, has been funding research programs at the Collège de France for several years. Launched by several professors at the institution, the initiative brings together researchers from numerous disciplines to provide scientific solutions to the challenges of climate change. In 2025, the initiative decided to support two ambitious projects. One of them is called PlastMicroBact.
Plastic, long valued for its versatility, lightness, low cost, and innovative properties, has transformed the way humans consume worldwide, with a significant impact in certain areas such as health, transportation, industrial production, and food. With several hundred million metric tons produced annually, plastic is the third most widely produced material in the world, and its production could double by 2050. However, its overproduction and overconsumption have already caused massive pollution. Billions of metric tons of plastic have been buried underground, and millions have been discarded into the natural environment, rivers, and oceans, significantly disrupting ecosystems. As it degrades, plastic breaks down into microparticles that carry two major contaminants: additives (chemicals deliberately added to plastic during manufacturing) and living matter (bacteria, viruses, biomolecules) absorbed from the environment through which it passes.
Scientific studies have shown that humans ingest tens of thousands of microplastics each year, whether through contaminated food, water, or air. While the harmful effects of this ingestion are beginning to attract public attention, our understanding of its consequences is still in its infancy.
The research program will focus specifically on the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to plastic microparticles and their ability to form large communities of millions of bacteria on these particles. Bacteria thus appear to be able to accumulate in environments polluted by microplastics, which would therefore serve as vectors for human infection. The researchers will focus on the Enterobacteriaceae family (Escherichia coli, Shigella, Salmonella, and Klebsiella), which colonize the digestive tract and cause acute or chronic infections, particularly in patients with Crohn’s disease, where these bacteria promote inflammation.
The project is led by Olivier Espéli , deputy director of the CIRB at the Collège de France; François Blanquart , a research fellow at the CIRB; and Laurent Moulin, head of the R&D laboratory at Eau de Paris.
The Avenir Commun Durable initiative is supported by the Collège de France Foundation , its major sponsors— the Covéa Foundation and TotalEnergies —and its sponsors, FORVIA and Saint-Gobain.
