blue ocean challenge€¦ · sources: ocean conservancy; ; wikipedia out of the 100 mln metric ton...
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Purpose Challenge to Rid the Ocean of Plastics, 31/12/2016Blue Ocean Challenge
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The trillion dollar life saving opportunity: removing the 5,25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean
Source: Plastic Pollution in the World’s Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea; Understanding the Economic Benefits and Costs of Controlling Marine Debris in the APEC region (2009)
• Total amount of plastic debris in the ocean is estimated to be ~5,25 trillion pieces of debris (2015); known as the ‘plastic soup’ or ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’
• Most of these pieces are microfibers littering in the deep sea, with just a small percentage floating due to the higher than water density of most plastics (seeappendix slide).
• All information based on limited sampling in North Pacific and North AtlanticOceans; little data available on Southern hemisphere oceans.
Total amount of plastic debris in the oceans: 5,25 trillion pieces
• Roughly 269,000 tons of plastic is estimated to float on the surface, a small percentage of the total amount of plastic in the ocean
• The species that fishermen report seeing most today is the ‘plastic bag’• Plastic floating at the surface is potentially easiest to clean up
Amount floating on the surface: 269,000 tons
• The total waste production in plastics annually for our species is estimated around275mln metric tons, of which 8mln tons enter the ocean annually.
Annual increase in numbers: +8 million metric tons of additional plastic
Total amount of plastic in the
ocean
Amount floating on the surface (addressable)
Annual increase
• For the APEC region alone, marine debris is estimated to cost 1,265 billion USD (2008). This is felt most in coastal communities, tourism, shipping, fishing and coastal agriculture - but can be felt more broadly in the future.
• Marine litter is also calculated to kill ~1million sea animals annually, as well as ~1million birds.
The trillion dollar opportunity (that saves millions of lives)
The trillion dollar
opportunity
The main drivers behind the problem seem to be consumer negligence, poorly regulated manufacturing, and adverse economics
Sources: Ocean Conservancy; www.oceancrusaders.org; Wikipedia
Out of the 100 mlnmetric ton plastic coastal waste, +8 mln ton enters the ocean annually
…with corre-sponding waste production
2,5 billion metric tons ofsolid waste production annually in 192 countries
Out of 2,5 billion metric ton waste, 275 mlnmetric tons is plastic waste
100 millionmetric tons of this plastic is coastal plastic waste
Drivers and trends…
* Recycling rates tend to differ starkly; general recycling rate in AUS is 36%, but in areas with container deposit legislation 74%
Shoppers worldwide use ~500bln single-use plastic bags annually
Consumers drink 53bln gallons of plastic bottled water annually, resulting in 3bln pounds of plastics*
Recycling plastics is way more expensive than producing it for manufacturers, and not economically viable
Doing our laundry releases synthetic fibres into the water
Beach-goers leave litter on the beach (cigarettes packages, bottles etc.)
Ships/offshore platforms dump garbage into the oceans
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We know roughly what kind of plastic materials enter the ocean; with food packaging, bottles and plastic bags on top of the ‘to be regulated’ list
Source: Understanding the Economic Benefits and Costs of Controlling Marine Debris in the APEC region (2009)
599.833
550.961
443.064
378.535
311.074
288.953
272.092
228.8
83.989
74.978
55.098
52.23
28.419
20.716
0 200 400 600 800
Food wrappers/containers
Caps/lids
Bags
Bottles plastic
Bottles glass
Cups, plates
Beverage cans
Straws/stirrers
Clothing/shoes
Pull tabs
Balloons
Toys
Six-pack holders
Shotgun shells
…ocean/waterway activities...Shoreline and recreational activities…
Frequency of findings of litter, APEC region 2009
…and smoking related activities
1907717
169629
70041
32438
0 2000000
Cigarettes/filters
Cigar tips
Tobacco packs/wraps
Cigarette lighters
92863
58071
50422
29421
26222
22835
18570
15612
14520
9773
6344
6039
5836
3947
0 40000 80000
Rope
Fishing line
Plastic sheets/tarps
Strapping bands
Bait containers
Buoys/floats
Bleach/cleaner bottles
Fishing lures/lights
Oil/lube bottles
Fishing nets
Crab/lobster/fish traps
Light bulbs/tubes
Pallets
Crates
55,5% of all findings 5,9% of all findings 35,7% of all findings
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…and that the problem is one of collective action between countries in different regions – although aligning Southeast Asia will prove critical
Source: Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean, Science (2015)
27.70%
10.10%5.90% 5.80% 5.00%
3.20% 3.00% 2.90% 2.70% 2.50% 2.00% 1.90% 1.60% 1.50% 1.50%
0
0.05
0.1
0.15
0.2
0.25
0.3
China produces +25% of the plastics, with Indonesia as a good second… (mismanaged plastic waste per annum, % of total plastic waste)…
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…although the per person rate of plastic waste production in kg per diem is highest in Sri Lanka, South Africa and Turkey
We also know that different plastic types behave differently in the ocean, and can therefore be found in different places
Object Material
Water bottle filled w/air Polyethylene terephthalate
Styrofoam piece Polystyrene
Candy wrapper Combination plastic
Trajectory 1:floating
Object Material
Water bottle without cap
Polyethylene terephthalate
Party cup Polystyrene
Trajectory 3: sinks
Object Material
Bottle cap (water) HDPE
Bottle cap (soda) Polypropalene
Medicine bottle piece Polyethyleneterephthalate
Fork Polystyrene
Grocery bag HDPE
Continental Shelf (found near shore) Pelagic Zone (found in ocean)
Trajectory 2: floating until polluted
Sources: British Plastics Federation
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Locations for the large ‘garbage patches’ are roughly predictable due to our knowledge of the global currents, and can be used for cleanup operations
Eriksen M, Lebreton LCM, Carson HS, Thiel M, Moore CJ, et al. (2014) Plastic Pollution in the World's Oceans: More than 5 Trillion Plastic Pieces Weighing over 250,000 Tons Afloat at Sea. PLOS ONE 9(12): e111913. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0111913http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/j ournal.pone.0111913
Main areas of debris location, clustered based on size of plastic particles
initial solution space linked to source and value chain activities
Upstream Downstream Sales Post-sales
Sour
ceO
cean
-bas
ed20
%La
nd-b
ased
80
%
Ocean Cleanup Initiativecleaning up the Pacific Garbage
Patch through technological innovations.
Updated MARPOL regulationsGovernmental (global) regulations for
ships/off-shore platforms for what to bring to sea and what to throw away.
Plastics tax for consumersGovernmental regulation making plastics
less attractive for buyers (e.g. supermarkets) through ‘plastic tax’.
Consumer pay additional fees.
Discouraging plastic fabricationEncouraging of – and economic support for –the development of non-plastic alternatives.
Community clean-ups using fansEngaging the communities (e.g. surfer
community, sailor community) to engage in clean-ups/removal of plastic bagsz
Plastics tax for buyersGovernmental regulation making plastics
less attractive middlemen selling the goods to others.
Stimulating innovationFunding of, or economic support for,
plastic alternative development programs which are enviro-sensitive.
Tax cuts for enviro-friendly productsProducts that remove/recycle plastics can receive a tax cut (e.g. VAT 21% -> 15%, where the company can keep half), to
make them more attractive
‘Litter filters’ for river/sea crossingsBuilding filters for waste disposal into
oceans, government regulated.
Heavy fines for illegal disposalSanctions for improper disposal of plastics.
Updated international trash agreements
Trade pacts/agreements to include trash handling for economic zones
Boosting consumer awareness
Educating children and adults on the proper use of
plastics.
Product lifecycle phasesSource: Purpose+ team
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