This document describes the principles to be followed in the analysis of microplastics in various environmental matrices. This includes the unique particle size classification of plastics, the use of certain apparatus with regard to sampling, sample preparation, and the determination of representative sample quantities.

The purpose of this document is to specify minimum requirements until specific standards for the different case situations are available. This is important to ensure that the development of the specific standards is done on a consistent basis to ensure that comparison or correlation of results is possible.

This document does not include requirements for monitoring actions.