Around 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans each year.
This staggering figure is perhaps best represented by the infamous expanse of water known as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, an area now estimated to be three times the size of Spain and home to approximately 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic.
Documentaries such as David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II, have in recent times managed to raise international awareness about the negative effects plastic is having on our marine ecosystems. This blog takes a further look at some of the campaigns being mounted by alliances around the world and how brands themselves are also starting to respond to what is becoming one of the most intractable problems of our time.
UK charity Surfers Against Sewage have mounted a series of campaigns designed to draw attention to the scourge of single-use plastics accumulating in our seas and on our coastlines. Most recently they’ve turned their attention to the UK’s political elite, highlighting how more than a million throwaway coffee cups were consumed in the Houses of Parliament over the past year.
On a larger, global scale, the Plastic Pollution Coalition is an alliance of over 500 individuals, organizations and businesses that pledge to live a plastic-free lifestyle. The charity provides multiple guides outlining methods through which individuals and institutions can go plastic-free. They’ve also produced a thought-provoking short film, narrated by actor Jeff Bridges, that reveals the extent of the challenge facing humanity.
