Saving the ocean from plastic waste

The McKinsey Center for Business and Environment recently collaborated on a report with the Ocean Conservancy called Stemming the tide: Land-based strategies for a plastic-free ocean which identified the origins of the world’s plastic marine debris and how it leaks into the oceans. The research found that more than 80% of ocean plastic comes from land-based sources rather than from perceived sources such as fisheries and fishing vessels. Furthermore, of that 80%, three-quarters comes from uncollected waste.

The attached report by McKinsey highlights six recommendations to help decrease marine litter entering our oceans:

1. obtaining real and meaningful commitments from national governments, governors, and mayors to set and achieve ambitious waste-management targets
2. providing local “proofs of concept” for integrated waste-management approaches in a number of carefully selected pilot cities
3. building a best-practice transfer mechanism of global expertise to high-priority cities
4. ensuring required project-investment conditions are in place
5. facilitating technology implementation by equipping technology providers with detailed data
6. bringing leadership and a strategic focus on solutions as part of the global policy agenda on the ocean

Waste Free Oceans reiterates that, in addition to such recommendations, measures need to be taken in order to optimize port reception facilities when it comes to disposing of marine litter collected at sea. At the moment, landing waste is not free of charge in EU ports – an obstacle for Fishing for Litter by fishermen and a disincentive to fight the marine litter problem.

Read the entire report previously shared by WFO here.