Call for Abstracts /// The hidden impact of plastics in building materials, 16 March 2026, at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

The hidden impact of plastics in building materials: microplastics, environmental pollution, toxicity, human health, social justice

In recent years, microplastics have been found throughout the human body, in the bodies of other animals (including those we consume,) and in all ecosystems on earth. Their health and pollution impacts are well-documented and unevenly distributed, often impacting less privileged communities more, and yet plastic production continues to increase. In August 2025, negotiations for a global plastics treaty stalled.

This symposium will examine how building materials contribute to these omnipresent and growing risks. 

Buildings are now the second largest consumer of plastics (only after packaging). Use of plastics has entered into common building practice without a significant professional or public discussion, and unchallenged it continues to grow. Many plastics used in buildings are hidden inside walls, in materials which appear ‘natural’, or used as disposable elements that aid construction. The relative invisibility of plastics in building and construction makes it challenging to even recognise the problem. It is therefore important to start a conversation about these hidden, but significant effects. 

We invite abstracts that examine the issues associated with plastics in building and construction. We are particularly interested in examinations of less visible or hidden impacts, and areas where we need to radically rethink current practices. Are we considering weathering of architectural plaints as the shedding of microplastics? How are social justice questions, associated with product manufacture, factored into selecting materials? And how is time considered? Can synthetic materials which are challenging to dispose of be considered ‘cheap’ or ‘sustainable’? What materials escape from construction sites and where do they end up? How can building practices better engage with Indigenous knowledge and values to help shape more just, holistic and relational approaches to building? How can building practices be improved, and how can the use of plastics be dramatically reduced? 

To submit a proposal for a presentation, please send an abstract of 250-300 words by 13^th February 2026. Please email abstracts to: emina.petrovic@vuw.ac.nz

The symposium will be held on 16^th March 2026, at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and via a video link. The symposium will start with the keynote presentation from Professor Alba Hernandez Bonilla, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain.

One of the purposes of the symposium is community building of people who are doing work in this important area. We hope to set a basis for potential future collaboration on research projects or on publications in this area. We intend to have a book of abstracts distributed at the start of the symposium.

Organisers: Dr Emina Kristina Petrović, Dr Polly Stupples and Natasha Perkins, Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

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