Gil Stevens, Sustainability and External Affairs Director, EDANA10.08.18
We have all seen the pictures: filthy plastic webs swimming the Pacific Ocean in five giant ocean gyres, turtles doing the tango with shopping bags, rivers choked with cheap, disposable single use goods. Although plastic was discovered in the last century, only recently have serious attempts been made at estimating the amount of plastic in the oceans and the impact on the seas—and ultimately human life. The ocean garbage patches are estimated to already contain more than 150 million tons of plastic with 4.6 to 12.7 million tons added each year.
We appear to have reached a tipping point. As the European Commission states “marine litter can cause serious economic damage: Potential cost across EU for coastal and beach cleaning was assessed at almost €630 million per year. Taking into account its accumulation and dissemination, marine litter may be one of the fastest growing threats to the health of the world’s oceans.”
To address this the Commission recently proposed several legislative pieces, aiming to drive the EU economy to a circular future, avoiding the outflow of valuable plastics and mitigating environmental impact. Th
We appear to have reached a tipping point. As the European Commission states “marine litter can cause serious economic damage: Potential cost across EU for coastal and beach cleaning was assessed at almost €630 million per year. Taking into account its accumulation and dissemination, marine litter may be one of the fastest growing threats to the health of the world’s oceans.”
To address this the Commission recently proposed several legislative pieces, aiming to drive the EU economy to a circular future, avoiding the outflow of valuable plastics and mitigating environmental impact. Th
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