World Environment Day 2023: Solutions to Plastic Pollution

CCB • June 5, 2023

5 June 2023 - Today the world is celebrating the World Environment Day, a special day focusing on human efforts to protect, and conserve the global environment. This year the special theme of the Day is #BeatPlasticPollution.

Global cumulative production of plastics since 1950 is forecast to grow from 9.2 billion tons in 2017 to 34 billion tons by 2050 (Geyer, 2020). Therefore, plastic pollution definitely represents a highly important environmental, economic, and social topic globally, and for the Baltic Sea region in particular.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal

It is estimated that 75 to 199 million tonnes of plastic is currently found in our oceans. Unless we implement drastical changes in our approach to plastic production, usage and disposal, the amount of plastic waste entering aquatic ecosystems could nearly triple from 9-14 million tonnes per year in 2016 to a projected 23-37 million tonnes per year by 2040. How does it get there? A lot of it comes from the world's rivers, which serve as direct conduits of trash into lakes, seas, and the ocean.

Plastic and impacts on marine ecosystems

Ingestion, physical entanglement, smothering, and the transport of pathogens in biofilms are causing a range of lethal and non-lethal effects in marine organisms, including physiological disturbances, disease, changes in gene expression, alterations of behaviour, and shifts in species assemblages and biodiversity. These in turn, have impacts on ecosystems, leading to a wide range of social and economic consequences such as loss of revenue from natural resources and damage to maritime industries and coastal infrastructure.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal

Marine microplastics: example of plastic impact on marine environment

Plastic pollution has led (among other things) to microplastic contamination of the whole marine environment, from the shore to the deepest ocean sediments (e.g. Ryan et al. 2009; Woodall et al. 2014). These microplastic particles can adsorb and transport contaminants from the surrounding environment, adding to the many chemical additives that are incorporated during the production of the plastic. Marine organisms can ingest this plastic directly, or by consuming other organisms that contain plastic.

Credit & original image: GRID-Arendal/Studio Atlantis

How CCB is working on plastic?

CCB and its member organizations have been working for many years to address the issue of plastic pollution in the Baltic Sea region in frame of it Hazardous Substances and Marine Litter Working area. Examples of our activities include the projects Plastic Free Baltic, Plastic Free Ocean, and the “#NonHazPlasticDiet” campaign.

Our current thematic plastic engagements include CCB participation in the EU Interreg project “Baltic Approaches to Handling Plastic Pollution under a Circular Economy Context” - BALTIPLAST (2023-2025). The project aims at the prevention and reduction of plastic waste in the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on single use plastic reduction, improvements in plastic packaging and innovative collection and treatment systems at the municipality level.

Soon this year, CCB will release the new report "Keep Fibers Zipped", which will cover available solutions to tackle microfiber pollution from textile in the Baltic Sea region, and globally.

***
Article written by Eugeniy Lobanov, CCB Hazardous Substances Working Area Leader

EXTRA RESOURCES

For the World Environment Day, the UNEP has prepared an interactive multi-language visual guide under the title: Our planet is choking on plastic. aims at the prevention and reduction of plastic waste in the Baltic Sea Region, focusing on single use plastic reduction, improvements in plastic packaging and innovative collection and treatment systems at the municipality level. Also, a UNEP-developed Practical Guide “Beat Plastic Pollution” is available for everyone.
Forever Toxic: The science on health threats from plastic recycling. May, 2023. The report has been prepared by Greenpeace, USA in collaboration with International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and The Last Beach Cleanup.
UNEP report: From Pollution to Solution: a global assessment of marine litter and plastic pollution and associated Interactive Story: From Pollution to Solution.
Break Free From Plastic – the global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

CCB is looking for a Network Officer to join our team at the CCB International Secretariat

By CCB • April 9, 2025

Coalition Clean Baltic – CCB is a politically independent network, uniting 27 environmental non-profit organizations, as well as partners and experts from 11 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The main goal of CCB is to promote the protection and improvement of the environment and natural resources of the Baltic Sea region by encouraging new and constructive approaches and engaging people to become part of the solution instead of part of the problem. CCB Secretariat is based in Uppsala, Sweden.

Attacks on NGOs: 570+ Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

By CCB • April 7, 2025

European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles that attempted to clarify this misleading narrative. European CSOs are crucial to ensure the voices of citizens from different parts of Europe are heard in the EU institutions. Attacks against civil society are unfortunately not new and are exacerbated by this harmful idea. Furthermore, for-profit corporate lobbying is through the roof when compared to non-profit advocacy. In 2024, the 50 corporations with the largest lobbying budgets collectively spent nearly €200 million on lobbying the EU alone (66% more than in 2015). Comparing this to the funding environmental NGOs receive under the LIFE programme - €15.6 million annually of a €700 million yearly budget - truly shows the weakness of this ‘scandal’. This is why over 570 civil society organisations from 40 countries, including all EU Member States, have joined forces to call on those in power to act now and ensure that civil society is adequately funded and enabled to share our crucial perspectives . In this statement, we address: The source of this false narrative; Inaccurate claims made about how CSOs obtain and use funding; Why it’s paramount that CSOs receive sufficient funding; The need for civil dialogue to enable CSOs participation. Democracy is about the right of citizens to be collectively heard for building an inclusive society and a shared European future; properly funded independent CSOs are a crucial tool for that. We call on decision-makers to ensure civil society organisations can thrive and play their role in interacting with policy-makers in order to have a more fully informed decision-making process. Read the full statement here . -END Civil Society Europe (CSE) is the coordination of civil society organisations at EU level. Through its membership, CSE unites EU-level membership-based organisations that reach out to millions of people active in or supported by not-for-profits and civil society organisations across the EU. CSE was created by several civil society organisations as a follow-up to the European Year of Citizens and was established as an international not-for-profit under Belgian law in 2016. Since then, it has become the point of reference for EU institutions on transversal issues concerning civil dialogue and civic space.