Multiple stakeholders support proposed industry pledge on marine litter

Stakeholders from across industry, retail and waste management showed strong support for a proposed industry pledge on tackling marine litter.

The pledge, initiated by the British Plastics Federation (BPF) was introduced to delegates at an event focusing on marine litter in London yesterday (Feb 7) as a way of leading the way in preventing plastics entering the ocean.

It highlighted the benefits of collaborative action to reduce waste and litter through reform of the PRN system; developing effective best practice measures; ensuring products are designed to ensure resource efficiency and end-of-life options are fully considered; openly sharing and developing best practice to improve waste management systems in the developing world.

“We were blown away with the response from the invited audience and the British Plastics Federation looks forward to working with all partners over the coming months and years,” commented Barry Turner, BPF Plastic and Flexible Packaging Group Director. “This is a first step toward making a real difference and helping to stop the flow of litter into our oceans.”

Mark Pawsey, Member of Parliament for Rugby and member of the All-Party Groups on Manufacturing and Packaging, who presented at the event, said: “The message about the positive impact that the effective use of plastic packaging can have is currently being drowned out by those who would like to see restrictions. It was good to see the sector come together to share best practice and importantly demonstrate the joint approach to reduce the amount of material that is wasted.”

Pawsey urged the plastics industry to invite local MPs to their places of business to highlight the commitment of the industry to tackling marine waste, as well as demonstrating the strength of the plastics industry and its contribution to the UK economy.

“Plastics are not the enemy”

Over the course of the day, presentations given to delegates ranged from statistics on the origins of plastic waste, to how best to implement practical solutions in the UK and in the developing world.

Professor Richard Thompson of the University of Plymouth told delegates that “it is very clear plastics are not the enemy” and marine litter solutions must come from better design and end-of-life considerations.

“It is not about not using plastics, it’s about using plastics differently,” he explained. “If you look at our main use of plastics, 40 per cent goes into packaging, which is brilliant as it massively uses food waste. However, the public opinion is that packaging is a convenience-driven application where we don’t have to care about the consequences. The problem of litter is a symptom of ‘throwaway, valueless items’ and that is a problem we have to reverse.”

Thompson said that the solutions lie in better waste management and product design. “Our challenge is to bring that passion for the sea and tailor that to our solutions,” he explained.

Streets Ahead

Gavin Ellis of anti-littering charity, Hubbub, and Tracy Phipps of Brighton and Hove City Council, co-presented the #StreetsAhead campaign which was launched to clean up litter in Brighton and Hove last year. “We wanted our campaign to be innovative and inspire community pride,” Phipps said. “Positive engagement has massively increased following the launch of the campaign.”

For Hubbub, Ellis said the charity’s own campaigns were aimed at making environmental issues tangible and relatable. He referenced an initiative in London which used messaging and interactivity to highlight the impact of littering in and around the Thames. “It is important to help consumers make the link between positive behaviour change and personal responsibility in preventing marine litter,” he explained.

Social Plastic

David Katz, CEO of The Plastic Bank and Zoë Lenkiewicz of Waste Aid spoke separately about their work with local communities to help re-purpose plastic litter in the developing world. Katz said The Plastic Bank’s model of collecting materials from ocean-bound waterways and alleviating poverty simultaneously was making a real difference to people’s lives globally.

He added that creating demand for the “social plastic” collected and traded using this model was a great sustainable marketing opportunity and contracts are already in place with M&S and Henkel to use the collected material in their products.

Expertise and Enthusiasm

Lord Lindsay, who co-chaired the day, said that the day was “a significant event” for the industry. “The expertise and enthusiasm I witnessed at this event is exactly the type of collaboration we need in order to improve the way we use and manage plastic and protect our environment for future generations,” he said.