In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly committed to addressing the ever-growing threat of plastic pollution and established the Global Plastics Treaty. The treaty aims to regulate the full lifecycle of plastic from production to disposal. This includes regulation of the most harmful marine plastic pollution: Abandoned, Lost, or Discarded Fishing and aquaculture Gear (ALDFG).  It is estimated that over 11000 tonnes of ALDFG enters European seas annually, the m

The United Nations is currently tackling a global crisis: ghost gear .  Ghost gear is plastic fishing or aquaculture gear that is abandoned, lost or discarded and it is the most damaging source of marine pollution in the ocean . Why ghost gear is so harmful  Every year, 2% of ghost gear ends up in the ocean due to extreme weather, tangled on the seabed or simply thrown away. Ghost gear does more than just pollute; it harms protected or endangered marine life, it damages the

Sustainable’ is a widely known environmental term. However, it is often used loosely and without clear definition. Companies engaging in greenwashing tactics  may misleadingly refer to their plastic products as ‘sustainable’. It is important then to understand what sustainability really means, why it is so important and if a sustainable plastics system is possible. The World Commission on Environmental Development (WCED) introduced the idea of ‘sustainable development’  in th

Sustainability means using resources that we can continue using in the long-term without causing irreversible harm to the environment. ...

Over the last few months, you might have noticed more news stories talking about forever chemicals. But you might not realise the true...

It is not uncommon to see images or videos online of turtles trapped in plastic six-pack rings or with plastic straws stuck up their...

A recent study by the University of Strathclyde reveals that alarming amounts of microplastics are being produced by an unnamed plastics...

It was over one year ago that a train in East Palestine, Ohio derailed and caused an explosion, waking residents in the small town. The...

E-cigarettes and their potentially harmful effects on aquatic plants. You may have smelt it before you’ve seen it, a new scourge of...

Poisoning. Dismemberment. Disease. It sounds like a horror film in the making. But this is the reality faced by many beneath the ocean’s sur

Have you ever gone to the beach and had to awkwardly hop along the sand and take refuge under umbrellas due to the hot sand beneath your...

France recently passed a groundbreaking law requiring all new washing machines sold in France to have filters that capture plastic...

Tyres are the second largest source of ocean microplastics, and new research has identified them as the source of a lethal toxin that’s...

First created for large playing fields, artificial grass can now be found in a whole range of businesses, schools, public roof terraces...

Every plastic product we use is made of small 5mm plastic pellets (the size of a lentil) called nurdles, which are melted and moulded...

Teabags Use Plastic? We know plastic is hidden in all sorts of surprising things, but teabags take the biscuit. Lots of teabags have...

With 11,000 organisations and individual supporters world-wide, this is a movement that supports us all. 'Hope has built this movement...