The ocean represents 71% of the surface of our Planet, providing for 90% of the living space on Earth. Yet, between 1 to 2 million tons of plastic are released in the ocean annually provoking the death of 100 million marine animals each year. And the situation is set to becoming worse. According to the McArthur report, there could be 850-950 million tons of plastic in the ocean by 2050, potentially outweighing the number of fish populations.
In addition to being a disaster to marine life and biodiversity, plastic pollution damages soil, poison groundwater can cause significant health impacts, and dangerously contributes to climate change. Thus, plastic pollution is not only an environmental issue but also a health disaster that requires urgent collective action. In response to this urgent issue, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) addresses in their 5th session the growing concern of plastic pollution on environmental and health impacts of plastics in the marine environment, making it a priority. By designing waste out of the loop, promoting reuse, recycling, and eco-friendly and biodegradable materials, we can ensure a more eco-friendly use of plastics and keep them out of the environment.
We must act now and implement circular economy practices in the plastic life-cycle before plastic pollution becomes irreversible and destroys ecosystems.
Unpacking Plastic Pollution: origins and oceanic consequences
Plastic pollution, a global issue, pervades our environment, from the air we breathe to the soil beneath our feet and from freshwater sources to the vast expanse of the ocean. A staggering 80% of this pollution originates from land-based activities, with the remaining 20% stemming from ocean-based sources.
Plastic is used in almost all consumer and industrial activities, from construction and vehicles to electronics and agriculture, where single-use plastic products are generated. Plastic products are used mainly because of their affordability, low weight, ease of use, low management, and durability. Thus, the primary source of plastic pollution in our oceans comes from land: littering, urban and stormwater runoff, industrial activities, tire abrasion, construction, and agriculture, but also from paint sheds from shipping, discarded fishing gear, etc.
Due to the degradation of plastic products and the lack of plastic waste management systems, especially in poorer countries, microplastics (smaller than 5mm) and nanoplastics (smaller than 100nm) are released into the environment from the breakdown of these more oversized plastic items or emancipated from products during use (e.g., solar exposure, waves, thermal oxidation, etc.,). These materials have a short life span and are usually not recyclable, leading to their accumulation in the environment.
Fishing industry
While the fishing industry significantly contributes to food security and economic livelihoods, it also plays a substantial role in oceanic plastic pollution. Fishing materials released in the ocean, such as nets and lines, account for 10% to 100% of global marine pollution. These marine debris are dangerous for marine life as they damage coral reefs, and wildlife are often entangled with these fishing gear.
In addition, despite its significant contribution to food security through seafood production, aquaculture significantly contributes to ocean plastic pollution. Indeed, nets, ropes, cages, and feeding equipment are highly used plastic materials in aquaculture operations. Like fishing gears, they degrade into microplastics or contribute to marine debris when improperly managed, entangling marine wildlife, leaching harmful chemicals into ecosystems (e.g., antibiotics, waste, etc), and disrupting food chains.
Consumer goods
Single-use plastic for consumer goods (e.g., packaging, personal care products) significantly pollutes the ocean. Indeed, single-used plastics in packaging and products (e.g., bottled beverages, food packaging, plastic bags, etc.) are commonly produced but rarely recycled. Only 9% of global plastic production is recycled, and they have a short lifespan. As a result, these products often end up in landfills or are improperly discarded. Moreover, rapid urbanization and the lack of solid waste management and sewage systems contribute to the diffusion of plastic particles from urban areas and landfills that spread into the air to water systems. Thus, plastic particles end up in rivers and storm drains, ultimately reaching the ocean and threatening marine life and ecosystems.
Consumers' awareness is essential in fighting oceanic plastic pollution through more sustainable consumption habits, increased demand for sustainable products, responsible disposal, and increased community initiatives.
Textile industry
The textile industry contributes to plastic pollution by using synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, deriving from fossil fuels. 16% to 35% of global plastic pollution derives from synthetic textiles. These materials are non-biodegradable and release microplastics, mainly during the use phase when washed, ending up in rivers and oceans and harming marine ecosystems. Indeed, most households are connected to sewage and wastewater treatment systems, releasing approximately 25 grams of microfibres per person in surface water (e.g., rivers, oceans, etc.) every year. Moreover, the textile industry produces a high volume of cheap, synthetic garments from which plastic particles are blowing in the air during textile manufacturing and garment wearing, after which they quickly end up in landfills and take hundreds of years to break down. These microfibres are then dispersed in water, air, and soil. They are responsible for 0.2 and 0.5 million tons of microplastics discharged annually into the ocean, harming marine and land ecosystems and human health.
Agriculture
With population growth, farmers must increase crop production, enhance food quality, and reduce their global water use and environmental footprint. Plastics are essential in today's agriculture, including mulching and drip irrigation, seedling trays, pesticide containers, livestock feed bags, etc, allowing for more efficiency in food production and meeting this increasing demand. However, plastic has emerged as a critical ecological issue, negatively impacting soil, water, and plants. Sewage sludge, resulting from wastewater treatment from domestic and industrial sources, contains around 90% of microplastics. This sewage sludge is used as fertilizers in agriculture, polluting agriculture fields with plastics disposed of or washed into the rivers and out to the sea. Thus, these plastic particles leached into the soil, contaminating soil, crops, and groundwater and affecting human health and biodiversity. Moreover, rivers, responsible for around 60% of oceanic plastic pollution, are a dominant pathway for plastics to reach the ocean, transporting agricultural plastics from fields to marine ecosystems.
Risks of Plastic pollution in the ocean and Circular Economy solutions
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch demonstrates the size of the issue—an accumulation of 100,000 tonnes of marine debris covering a surface of 1.6 million square kilometers. Plastic waste collected in the ocean disrupts the food chain and causes environmental harm.
Impacts on marine life
The impact of plastic debris on marine life is severe. Large mammals, such as whales, are often entangled in fishing gear, ropes, nets, and pots made of plastics. Marine life, regardless of size, is vulnerable to plastic ingestion, from small crabs to blue whales, leading to the death of many species by asphyxia or entanglement. Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish or fishing nets for seaweeds, leading to starvation. Seabirds often ingest plastic fragments floating on the ocean, mistaking them for food and causing over a million deaths through starvation or suffocation annually.
In addition, plastic debris is often the cause of bacterial infection, physical injury to coral tissues, and the loss of marine habitats for marine species. Plastic debris sinking on coral reefs reduces sunlight access to the marine ground, thereby diminishing the amount of oxygen in these areas and affecting overall ecological function.
Predators, such as orcas and sharks, also suffer from microplastics, as they concentrate toxic chemicals that accumulate in their tissues and cause long-term ecological harm. This circumstance is called biomagnification and occurs when contaminated species are eaten by animals, resulting in the accumulation of chemicals in their fatty tissues. Finally, when mollusks such as mussels and oysters filter seawater to feed, they also take in human-created pollutants, including microplastics.
Microplastics, a byproduct of plastic pollution, infiltrate the food chain, causing environmental harm and impacting human health. These particles, small enough to be ingested by wildlife and humans, pose potential health risks that are still being studied. These risks include inflammation, toxicity, and bioaccumulation in the food chain, highlighting the interconnectedness of the issue and the need for further research.
Impacts on human health
Ocean plastic pollution significantly threatens human health, especially for vulnerable communities. Microplastics find their pathway to human ingestion through marine organisms, which are crucial to food security and nutrition. Indeed, microplastics are everywhere, from seafood and salt to drinking water. Thus, they accumulate in the human body, possibly creating inflammation, disrupting hormones, and links to cancer. Annually, humans consume from 70,000 to 120,000 particles of plastic through air inhalation, food, and drink. These plastics release toxic chemicals, such as additives and persistent organic pollutants, further increasing health risks.
Indirectly, this leads to strained fisheries and polluted environments, increasingly vulnerable communities living off those resources alone for either food or tourism. Once plastic waste reaches the oceans and waterways due to faulty municipal systems for waste handling, it leads to the disturbance of marine biodiversity. Fish and other marine species will ingest or get entangled in plastics, leading to a general decline in fish populations. This depletes directly and threatens the income and food security of communities relying on fisheries. Moreover, tourism, a vital income source for many coastal areas, suffers. Plastic litter on beaches keeps tourists away, and revenues that sustain local economies decrease correspondingly.
In addition, resources are further strained regarding cleanup and prevention costs, as governments and communities allocate scarce resources to cleaning up polluted environments instead of investing in development. Thus, these issues disproportionately affect low-income regions and demand urgent, sustainable solutions to mitigate these risks.
Circular Economy solutions to end plastic pollution
Circular economy practices can help tackle plastic pollution by redesigning systems to minimize waste and ensure sustainable resource use. Indeed, creating fully recyclable materials, enhancing reuse systems, and developing bio-based alternatives can significantly reduce the accumulation of plastic in the ocean through biodegradable materials.
The upcoming INC-5, the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, is a crucial forum for establishing a legally binding international treaty to end plastic pollution. This event is of utmost importance in tackling the plastic pollution issue, as it is expected to facilitate collaboration between governments, industries, and communities. The urgency of this issue is clear, and the advancement of scalable circular economy practices through INC-5 is crucial to extending Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives with full recycling infrastructures for cleaner oceans and a sustainable future. Therefore, developing eco-design of plastic products, enhancing legislation relevant to the manufacturer, recycling, and alternative materials is crucial. Besides, biodegradable plastic and bioplastics research and development and improvement of wastewater treatment facilities are significantly required to reduce plastic contamination and create a circular economy.
Actions taken today save us tomorrow
Plastic debris continues to strangle marine ecosystems, poison biodiversity, and contaminate the food chain, posing a threat to human health and livelihoods. As the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC-5) convenes to draft a landmark global treaty, the world has a unique chance to turn the tide. Applying the principles of the circular economy to global policy can ensure that policymakers focus on sustainable product design, eco-compatible materials, and binding targets for the recycled content of these products. These can help decrease the demand for virgin plastics and develop markets for recycled materials, but their success depends upon international harmonization and supporting developing countries.
These programs demonstrate that protecting the environment from plastic pollution is less about waste disposal and more about product redesign and changing consumption patterns.
Thus, collaborative action is needed to overcome the challenges posed by plastic pollution. Policymakers, industries, and individuals must work together towards a common goal.
Policymakers should apply strict controls to product design, material composition, and waste management, prioritizing environmental safety and human health.
Industries should accept corporate responsibility by investing in sustainable practices, incorporating recycled content, designing products with end-of-life in mind, and contributing to public awareness.
The public must adopt changes in consumption habits, from reducing single-use plastics to supporting businesses and policies that promote sustainability.
Plastic pollution is not just a concern for the future; it's an urgent issue that needs immediate attention. The INC-5 negotiations can help us address plastic pollution from its sources to protect our land and marine environments.