Recycled ML flip-flop elephant
UNEA-2 outcome
Marine Plastic Litter and
Microplastics
UNEA 1/6 Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics:
Requested UNEP to provide support to the development of
marine litter action plans upon request by countries
Requested UNEP ED to undertake a study on marine plastic
debris and marine microplastics building on existing work
and taking into account the most up-to-date studies and
data
Encouraged Governments, intergovernmental organizations,
industry and others to cooperate with the Global Partnership
on Marine Litter (GPML)
Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics
Background, Evidence Base, Taking Action, and Conclusions
and Key Policy Needs (www.unep.org/unea)
Taking Action – closing the loop
Prioritize interventions – hotspots
Risk-based assessment to ID appropriate intervention
points & which stakeholder groups need to be involved
to define the problem/potential solutions to ‘close the
loop’
BATs, BEPs, MBIs, legislation, criteria
Areas in need of more research & priority areas for action
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Recognizes that the presence of plastic litter and microplastics needs
an urgent global response taking into account a product life-cycle
approach, and that measures need to be taken and adapted as
appropriate to the local, national and regional situations.
 Resolution 1/6 - urges all States to implement fully all its relevant
recommendations and decisions,
 Importance of cooperation and information sharing between the UNEP,
IMO, FAO, BRS, CBD, IWC, CMS; and invites/encourages the
cooperation under the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, on this
matter;
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Acknowledges the regional action plans on marine litter and urges
other Governments and regions to collaborate to establish such action
plans, where relevant;
 Welcomes the report of the UNEP ED on marine plastic debris and
microplastics and urges the evaluation and possible implementation of
the recommendations as relevant and appropriate;
 Stresses that prevention and environmentally sound management of
waste, is key to long-term success in combating marine pollution,
including marine plastic debris and microplastics, and calls on Member
States to establish and implement necessary policies, regulatory
frameworks and measures consistent with the waste hierarchy importance of providing capacity-building, financial assistance
(SIDS/LD)
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Welcomes the UNEPs ML MOOC; the WOD the ML focused UNICPOLOS
& SG report
 Recognizes that surface runoff, rivers and sewage outfalls are important
pathways for litter transfer from land to the sea; also recognizes the
need for measures against the littering of freshwater courses, including
measures to adapt to extreme storms, flooding and other relevant
climate change effects; and encourages international cooperation on
transboundary watercourses in that regard, where relevant;
 Also recognizes that education, capacity-building, knowledge transfer
and awareness raising regarding sources, negative effects of and
measures to reduce and prevent marine plastic debris and
microplastics, and environmentally sound waste management systems
and clean-up actions, is crucial;
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Need to identify transport and distribution pathways and hotspots of
marine litter, to cooperate regionally and internationally on clean-up
actions of such hotspots where appropriate and to develop
environmentally sound systems and methods for such removal and
sound disposal of marine litter; stresses that removal is urgent in areas
where it poses an immediate threat to sensitive marine and coastal
ecosystems or marine based livelihoods or local societies; and
recognizes that removal actions as far as possible should be risk based
and cost-effective, following BATs & BEPs and the polluter-pays
approach;
 Encourages Governments at all levels to further develop partnerships
with industry and civil society and the establishment of public-private
partnerships / sustainable tourism, 10YFP STP
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Recognizes the work of the FAO and regional fisheries bodies and
management organizations to mitigate and clean up ALDFG and
encourages MS to include such measures in national and regional
action plans against marine litter, as relevant, noting that cost-effective
technologies and practices are available;
 Underlines the need for the sharing of knowledge and experience on
the best available techniques and environmental practices for
reducing littering from the fishing industry and aquaculture and to
implement pilot projects where appropriate, including in respect of
deposit schemes, voluntary agreements and recovery, in particular
through prevention, (3Rs) reduction, reuse and recycle.
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Acknowledges the findings of the UNEP ED report on sources and
possible measures for avoiding microplastics entering the marine
environment and recognizes that Governments need to further identify
the most significant sources and important and cost effective
preventive measures at the national and regional levels, invites
Governments to undertake such prioritized measures nationally and
through regional and international cooperation and in cooperation
with industry, as appropriate, and to share their experiences, and urges
the phasing-out of primary microplastic particles in products, including
wherever possible products such as personal care-products, industrial
abrasives and printing products, and their replacement with organic or
mineral non hazardous compounds;
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Encourages the establishment of a harmonized international size
definition and terminology and compatible standards and methods for
the monitoring and assessment of marine plastic debris and
microplastics, as well as the establishment of and cooperation on costeffective monitoring, building as far as possible on ongoing related
monitoring programmes and considering alternative automated and
remote sensing technology where possible and relevant;
 Underlines that, while research already undertaken provides sufficient
evidence for immediate action, more research is needed on marine
plastic debris and microplastics, including associated chemicals, and
especially on environmental and social, including human health,
impacts, pathways, fluxes and fate, including fragmentation and
degradation rate, in all marine compartments
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Requested UNEP to provide support to the development of marine litter
action plans upon request by countries
 Requested UNEP ED to assess the effectiveness of relevant international,
regional and sub-regional governance strategies and approaches to
combat marine plastic litter and microplastics and identify gaps and
options for addressing them ( UNEA-3)
 Establishment of public-private partnerships, development of
campaigns for awareness-raising, prevention and clean-up
 encouraged product manufacturers to consider the lifecycle
environmental impacts of products containing microbeads and
compostable polymers
UNEA 2/11 Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics:
 Recognizes the role of IMO in mitigating marine litter, recalls MARPOL
Annex V; need to reduce illegal dumping of litter in the sea, including
through establishment and use of effective port reception facilities,
identification and, as appropriate, recovery of cost related to the
disposal of garbage and waste including through harbour fees and
consideration of other incentives, and innovative approaches;
 Support by Government of Norway
Implementation: Capacity building & Awareness
 Assessment - establish a process
 MOOC II in English & Spanish
 Global Campaign on Marine Litter (5yr)
 Database on BATs/BEPs (Uni.of Georgia)
 Innovation Challenge for Universities
(Launch 2017)
 Global Monitoring Platform for ML
Implementation: Action Plans & Study
JOIN US!
Thank you for your attention
www.unep.org/gpa/gpml
www.marinelitternetwork.org
Implementation: Knowledge
 Microplastics and fisheries/aquaculture, Methods to
estimate ghost fishing (FAO)
 London Convention – plastics in the waste streams,
Training package MARPOL V (IMO)
 Gender, plastics & chemicals
 Overview of ML relevant legislation
 Plastics and vector-borne diseases
 Plastics management strategy for SIDS and Islands
Implementation: Phase out microbeads
• 4360 tonnes of microplastic beads
(2012 in EU plus Norway and Switzerland)
• Internationalization of
the “Beat the microbead” initiative (PSF and NF)
 Promotes a phase out of microbeads by industry.
http://get.beatthemicrobead.org/
 80 NGO’s from over 33 countries - App in 9
languages
 59 industrial companies promised to phase out
microplastics
Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics
Phase out of microbeads
Drastic reduction/ban of single-use plastics
Short-term: waste management, long-term:
upstream reduction
‘biodegradable’ will NOT decrease ML
internationally agreed definition of
biodegradability (marine env.)
harmonization and standardization of
methods
Gaps/solutions for governance frameworks
Implementation: Capacity building
First Massive Open Online
Course on Marine Litter
Leadership Track:
8 hours of learning consist
of 2 blocks (4 hrs each)
Expert Track:
32 additional hours
consisting of 6 blocks
(4 hrs each)
6500 registered students
Ended January 2016
New in 2017
Spanish MOOC
www.marinelittermooc.org
Implementation: Action Plans & Study
Development/implementation of marine litter action plans/nodes:
Northwest Pacific, Wider Caribbean Region, Mediterranean
Black Sea, Nigeria, Municipal: Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Panama,
Brazil;
Technical input to the G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter.
Upcoming: Africa (Nairobi & Abidjan), Asia (SACEP and COBSEA)
Background
• The GPA hosted by UNEP - intergovernmental mechanism
- ML 1/9 source categories.
• Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), Rio+20, June
2012
• Protect human health and the environment by the
reduction and management of ML
• Multi-stakeholder partnership ~ 100 partners, many
networks
Implementation: Demo Waste minimization,
Samoa
Global Waste Management Outlook (GWMO)
September 2015 – related to GPWM
How to prevent? Bring wastes under control
Ensure access for all
to basic waste
services
Tackle the problem
at the source
Stop
uncontrolled
dumping
and burning
Bring
hazardous
wastes
under control
Focus on
waste
prevention
Focus
on the
‘feedback
loops’
Move from a linear to a circular economy
Deal with the hazardous
substances in wastes
Close a clean
material cycle
Emerging Issues - Microplastics
Operational definition – particles < 5mm
Plastic resin beads,
used in plastics
manufacture
(Ogata)
Beach sample
of microplastics,
Hawaii
(NOAA Marine
Debris Program)
Polyethylene
microplastics
extracted from
shower gel
(A. Bakir and
RC Thompson)
Microfiber from
synthetic garment
(Mermaids Project)
Tyre dust ? Atmospheric transportation?
1900 fibers/item
35.6 billion laundry
loads in Europe alone
Programme
13:15 13:25
Welcome remarks, Mr. Jo Hovik, Head of the
Norwegian Delegation to the ICP -17
13:25 - 13: 40
“Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics – State of
knowledge and priority areas for action”. Dr. Jenna Jambeck
13:35 - 13:50
“UNEA-2 outcomes and the way forward through the
Global Partnership on Marine Litter”. Ms. Heidi Savelli, GPA, UNEP
13:50 - 14:30
Discussion involving experts, Closing remarks and summary
of key points Mr. Elliott Harris, ASG and Director New York Liaison Office, UNEP