Plastics and the Circular Economy

How is plastic impacting the ocean? 

• Biodiversity loss: More than 100,000 marine mammals die every year as a result of plastic pollution. According to Oceana, at least 1,800 species are affected by marine debris, from tiny zooplankton, to fish, birds and the largest whales to be harmed through entanglement in or ingestion of plastic
  
  
• Climate change: Based on current projections, the production and incineration of plastics will account for 10-13% of the global annual carbon budget
  
  
• Human health: Microplastics are contaminating the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Research by Newcastle University has shown that we are ingesting an average of 5 grams of plastic every week, the equivalent of a credit card, coming from "microplastics"
  
  
• Tourism: According to WWF an estimated $622 million is lost every year in the Asia-Pacific region alone due to waste and clean-up costs, affecting the livelihoods of communities reliant on tourism

What is the circular economy?

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has coined the term Circular Economy: a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended. In practice, it implies reducing waste to a minimum. The circular economy is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature.

How can the leakage of plastic into the ocean be prevented? 

• Reduce the amount of new plastic produced
• Increase the reuse and recycling of plastic already in circulation
• Eliminate leakage of plastic into nature 

What will happen if world leaders stay on a ‘business as usual’ path with plastics? 

Delaying the actions outlined in Breaking the Plastic Wave by five years would add 80 million metric tons of plastic waste to the 248 million metric tons projected to enter the ocean from 2016 to 2040, compounding risks for local communities and investors.