The Plastic Oceans Foundation has commissioned a documentary feature film to raise awareness of the problem of marine pollution so that the public and policy-makers alike will have the information they need to make the changes that must happen. Approximately 80% of marine pollution is plastic waste and this is accumulating at the centres of the 5 ocean gyres. The Plastic Oceans Foundation is working with scientists, innovators and businesses around the world so to keep up with the latest developments in research and especially the solutions that have the potential to turn this situation around within a generation.
The Plastic Oceans Foundation is proud to be a part of Mission Ocean, recognizing the need to bring together all parties who are working tirelessly to preserve the health of our oceans. Our mission is ultimately to stop plastic waste from entering our rivers, water-courses and ultimately our oceans where they accumulate in the high seas. With marine pollution being one of the main focus areas of Mission Ocean we look forward to working together with other key players in this field to give us the best chance of achieving our goal.
Setting time-bound plastic reduction targets while creating incentives to promote recycling and producer responsibility. Restricting or banning certain unsustainable uses, encouraging substitute materials and better recycling systems.
Plastics are a major source of pollution on the high seas and constitute a health threat to both people and the environment. Debris entangles or suffocates seabirds, turtles and marine mammals, and plastic microparticles bio-accumulate, poisoning fish and entering the food chain.
Over 80% of the plastics found in the ocean come from the land, reflecting very poor and irresponsible waste management. However, political and regulatory action is lacking and consumers are not sufficiently aware of the problem.
World plastics production is estimated to increase by over 100 times based on 2010 production levels, from 270 million in 2010 to 33 billion in 2050, a percentage of which will end up in the ocean unless preventative action is taken.
Once it is in the ocean, plastic is very hard to remove, therefore the Commission is calling for coordinated action by governments, the private sector and civil society to stop plastics entering the ocean in the first place. Proposed actions include:
Establishing time-bound quantitative reduction targets;
Creating incentives to promote recycling and extend producer responsibility.
Restricting or banning certain unsustainable uses (e.g. disposable plastic bags and polyurethane packaging);
Encouraging the promotion and innovation of substitute materials and better recycling systems;
Increasing consumer awareness.
The Commission is also concerned about plastics pollution from sea-based sources, notably the problem of lost and abandoned fishing gear. Tens of thousands of fish aggregation devices (FADs) are used by the tuna fishing industry alone; many of them are eventually discarded or lost at sea.
The Commission proposes that all deployed FADs be documented, and that each new FAD from now on be made up of natural fibres and equipped with a tracking device. To discourage their abandonment at sea, the Commission also calls for port disposal programmes that encourage the safe, cost-effective disposal of used fishing gear. The use of natural biodegradable materials in fishing gear should also be promoted.