Resources

Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry is a highly informative publication on the valuation of plastic that allows us, for the first time, to put a figure on the costs companies would incur if the damage caused by waste plastic was included in their accounting. The report highlights the urgent need for businesses to…

Plastic is an increasingly high-profile threat to our climate, ocean, wildlife and human health. Its production has increased twenty times since 19641 and almost half of plastic produced is used just once before it is discarded.2 The mountains of plastic waste generated by people, businesses, food production and almost every other sector of modern life are, on the whole, poorly collected and…

Marine litter is a transboundary challenge that is rooted in unsustainable production and consumption patterns, poor solid waste management and lack of infrastructure, lack of adequate legal and policy frameworks and poor enforcement, including on interregional cross-border trade of plastic waste, and a lack of financial resources. Marine litter is any persistent, manufactured or processed…

This report is a first step to address the environmental and human health risks associated with plastic litter and microplastics in the marine environment, from a biological, physical and chemical perspective. It provides a state-of-the-art overview of risks and exposure pathways due to plastics and microplastics, including particles in the nano size range, and an overview of existing or…

Following a request to AQASS Ltd by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), this report investigates the practice of disposal and recycling of fibre reinforced plastic / polymer (FRP) vessels and related environmental issues; N.B. for this report FRP is used but the material is also known as GRP (glass reinforced plastic) and fibreglass (a trading name), amongst others.

Through a recent report, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) identified hull scrapings, marine coatings and anti-fouling systems as potential sources of microplastics to the oceans. The impacts of marine plastics and microplastics upon species and communities are increasingly recognised with concomitant regulation and public attention. Accordingly, through its mandate…

In Para 50 of that report, the JWG recommended that: a) FAO, in collaboration with IMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), including the provision of technical advice into the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), develop international guidelines on the marking of fishing gear, taking into account MARPOL Annex V and related guidelines, and other instruments, where…

These Voluntary Guidelines for the Marking of Fishing Gear are dedicated to the memory of  Joanna Toole, who worked tirelessly to reduce and manage abandoned, lost, or otherwise  discarded  fishing  gear  (ALDFG)  in  the  ocean  and  to  stop  ghost  fishing  by  such  gear  worldwide.

This is the final version of the report as approved by the Thirty-third Session of the Committee on Fisheries, held in Rome from 9 to 13 July 2018.

Report on possible options available under the Basel Convention to further address marine plastic litter and microplastics, Activities related to marine plastic litter and microplastics undertaken by the Basel Convention regional and coordinating centres and the Stockholm Convention regional and subregional centres.

Marine litter is a pressing and growing global environmental challenge, but also an economic opportunity; preventing marine litter can enable materials and their value to remain in circular economy

Marine litter – any persistent, manufactured or pro-cessed solid material that has been discarded, dis-posed of, abandoned in, or eventually reaches the marine or coastal environment – has…

This report focuses on the present state of knowledge on the occurrence and effects of microplastics (i.e. plastic particles less than 5 mm in their longest dimension) on aquatic organisms, especially commercially important species, as well as the possible implications for seafood safety and security. The widespread use of plastic materials in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors, and the…

Every year, the sum of humanity’s knowledge increases exponentially. And as we learn more, we also learn there is much we still don’t know. Plastic litter in our oceans is one area where we need to learn more, and we need to learn it quickly. That’s one of the main messages in Marine Litter Vital Graphics. Another important message is that we already know enough to take action.

This review focuses mainly on the extent, sources, pathways and effects of plastics and microplastics in LC/LP waste streams, since scientific research in recent years has highlighted the negative effects of plastic contaminants on marine biota; other categories are taken into consideration only when their presence in waste streams could be considered a problem (e.g. smothering of benthic…

This report provides insights on the gender, human rights and economic dimensions of marine plastic litter to inform project design and activities and to ensure a fair, equitable and ethically-sound course of action, that leads to more effective, appropriate and sustainable outcomes in the longer term. The analysis highlights initial findings and existing knowledge gaps and provides…

Abandoned, lost and discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), also called derelict fishing gear, cause substantial ecological and socio-economic problems. An estimated 6.4 million tonnes of marine debris are added to global seas annually (UNEP, 2005a). ALDFG is estimated to compose less than 10 percent of total marine debris by volume at a global scale but the composition of marine debris and density of…

Marine debris is recognized as a globally significant stressor on the marine and coastal environment, with impacts on marine biodiversity having been reported over the last four decades. There are also socioeconomic impacts, as debris can be a health and safety hazard and can also affect commercially significant resources. The vast majority of marine debris is made up of various forms of…

Marine debris is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. While this definition encompasses a wide range of materials, most items fall into a relatively small number of material types such as glass, metal, paper and plastic. Plastic items are the most abundant type of marine debris on a global scale and…

Plastic waste and especially marine plastic litter is an environmental problem occurring on a global scale today. The ubiquitous transboundary movement of plastic wastes and microplastics is becoming a major concern as their property of durability makes their particles remain for long period of time.

Report of the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention,UNEP/CHW.2/30Report of the Second Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention,UNEP/CHW.3/34Report of the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention,UNEP/CHW.4/35Report of the Fourth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Basel Convention