Sustainability

The Plastic Problem

Each WEEK, we unknowingly eat 5 grams of plastic (weight of a credit card)!

Each WEEK, we unknowingly eat 5 grams of plastic (weight of a credit card)!

A third of coral reefs are already gone. 100 million marine animals die yearly.

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish!

Together, we can be part of the solution

 

Scope of the problem

 

  • Half of all marine life has been lost in the last 40 years (World Wildlife Fund)
  • 1% of plastic in the oceans is on the surface. This means 99% of plastic is water suspended or settled on the ocean floors (National Geographic)
  • Every second, 160 000 plastic bags are produced and less than 1% of plastic bags are correctly recycled (EarthDay.org)
  • ~51 trillion microplastic particles are already in our oceans  (2017 estimates from United Nations Marine Conference)
  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of ocean plastic is about twice the size of Texas (National Geographic)
  • Plastic pollution can travel long distances and end up in remote areas such as Arctic sea ice and beaches on uninhabited islands. (National Geographic)

 

 

The ill effects of plastic

  • Microplastics, small pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size, are particularly harmful as they are easily ingested by marine life and can accumulate in the food chain. (NOAA)
  • Plastic pollution has many negative impacts on human health, causing respiratory problems and cancers from toxic chemicals released by plastic. (National Geographic)
  • Plastic pollution in the ocean is also affecting the oxygen levels in the water, potentially causing "dead zones" where marine life cannot survive. (Smithsonian Magazine)
  • Plastic pollution affects not only the oceans but also the freshwater systems, harming aquatic life and ecosystems. (WWF)
  • Plastic pollution can also have a visual impact, spoiling the beauty of beaches and coastlines. (Oceanic Society)
  • Plastic pollution can disrupt the reproduction and development of marine animals, leading to population declines. (United Nations)
  • Plastic pollution disproportionately affects low-income communities and countries with poor waste management systems. (United Nations Environment Programme)