October 2025 saw the 13th annual Great Global Nurdle Hunt, a citizen science project with over 1,500 volunteers in 25 countries searching their shorelines for nurdles. Nurdles are the pre-production building blocks of most plastic products. They’re lentil-shaped microplastic pellets, ~2-3mm in diameter, which are melted down in plastic production. Unfortunately, nurdles have found their way into every corner of the world, with this year's hunt reporting that 92% of participating countries...

It is estimated that 11 million tonnes of plastic debris enter the oceans each year. Every year, the world produces over 400 million tonnes of plastic, and with recycling rates remaining below 10% globally, the volume entering our oceans continues to grow. Poor waste management and littering cause plastic to enter rivers and waterways, eventually pouring into the ocean. Discarded fishing gear is another major contributor. Once in the ocean, plastic is easily swept away by ocean currents,...

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 majority of which...