Addressing the Challenge of Ocean Plastic Pollution
Addressing the Challenge of Ocean Plastic Pollution
Nicky Amos and Dr Rory Sullivan
Plastics pollution has a direct and serious effect on our aquatic ecosystems and the species that live within them. Thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, seals and other marine mammals are killed each year after ingesting plastic or becoming entangled in plastic products. We are also now seeing growing evidence of the less obvious but equally significant health and ecological effects of microplastics in our oceans. In this article, we describe some of the work that three of our clients – the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, the First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute and the Principles for Responsible Investment – are undertaking to address the problem of plastics in our oceans.
The Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI)
Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (often referred to as ghost gear) is a major contributor to ocean plastic pollution and is believed to form the majority of large plastics in the sea. According to a recent study[1],approximately 5.7% of all fishing nets, 8.6% of all traps, and 29% of all lines are lost annually. Ghost gear can remain in the ocean for decades, entangling marine wildlife including whales, dolphins and porpoises, sea turtles, and fish.
As the world’s largest cross stakeholder alliance dedicated to tackling ghost gear, the GGGI works with its 120+ members to improve the health of marine ecosystems, to safeguard human health and livelihoods, and to protect marine life from harm. For instance, in Vanuatu and the Caribbean, the GGGI is trialling innovative gear to track active and lost gear, ranging from the combination escape hatch and emergency retrieval unit known as ResQ Unit in pot/trap fisheries to high-tech satellite tracking devices from Blue Ocean Gear and CLS which can be used to track gear in real-time anywhere in the world from a smart phone or computer. In Indonesia, the GGGI is scoping the viability of a gillnet recovery/recycling programme, and using innovative new marking technology to mark fishing gear so that it can be scanned using a mobile phone.
We have worked with GGGI on a number of projects over the past two years. We have convened and coordinated workshops between GGGI and key stakeholders (fishing companies, retailers, regulators, investors) to discuss the role that these different stakeholders can play in combatting the issue of ghost gear. We have developed an implementation guide and online training course for fishing companies to facilitate implementation of the GGGI Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear. We also helped coordinate a letter from institutional investors to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) calling on it to include ghost gear in its revisions to its certification standards, which are being currently reviewed with stronger language on ghost gear being proposed in the revision.
First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute
Ghost gear is not the only major threat to marine health. According to a new report, Microplastic pollution: the causes, consequences and issues for investors, prepared by Chronos on behalf of the First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute, the amount of plastic thought to enter the ocean every year exceeds 10 million tonnes, of which around 1 million tonnes is classified as ‘primary’ microplastics (e.g. plastic pellets, fragments, and fibres measuring less than 5mm in any dimension). The main sources of primary microplastics include vehicle tyres, synthetic textiles (from washing clothes), paints, and personal care products. Microplastics pose an environmental hazard because their ingestion by marine organisms has been shown to negatively affect these organisms’ growth, development, and reproduction. There are also growing concerns about the human health impacts of microplastics.
It is estimated that over one third (33%) of the annual total primary microplastics entering the global marine environment are from synthetic textiles. First Sentier Investors (FSI), in collaboration with the Marine Conservation Society, has convened an investor engagement programme to encourage the manufacturers of domestic and commercial washing machines to fit, as standard, microfibre filters for their products. A group of 30 institutional investors representing $5.6 trillion in AUM now supports this initiative. The programme involves the investors engaging directly with leading washing machine manufacturers, and with their respective trade associations, to:
· Encourage the companies to commit to having factory fitted plastic microfibre filters as standard in all new machines by the end of 2023.
· Encourage policymakers to implement legislation prohibiting the sale of new commercial and domestic washing machines without filter mechanisms built in.
The Principles for Responsible Investment (Plastic Investor Working Group)
In 2019, the PRI published the Plastics Landscape Series, consisting of three reports and an online interactive data tool. These mapped out the plastics value chain, identified the risks and opportunities the plastics industry poses for investors, and outlined relevant legislation and policy in different geographies.
In 2020, the Plastics Investor Working Group, with input from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, initiated a follow-up project to develop guidance for investors engaging with companies in the plastics packaging value chain across four sectors: petrochemicals, manufacturing (of containers and packaging), fast-moving consumer goods and waste management. Chronos was commissioned to develop these guides – which will be released later in 2021 – on behalf of the PRI. The guides will set out the questions that investors can ask companies about their approach to managing plastics and will offer a structured framework for assessing the level of company ambition, They will also present examples of best practice in plastics management.
Making Progress
On World Oceans Day, Chronos is appealing to investors concerned about the sustainability of fisheries and marine ecosystems to take decisive action to address ocean plastic pollution. We suggest five direct actions investors can take:
1. They can collaborate with the GGGI to (a) support the growth and development of this critical global platform to address ghost gear around the world; (b) support investment in infrastructure or technologies linked to the collection and recycling of end-of-life fishing gear, and (c) to encourage fishing companies to adopt best practices on the management of fishing gear as outlined in the GGGI Best Practice Framework.
2. They can join the PRI Plastics Investor Working Group to drive improvements across the plastics packaging value chain.
3. They can join the First Sentier investor engagement programme to encourage the manufacturers of domestic and commercial washing machines to fit, as standard, microfibre filters to all their products.
4. They can build their understanding by reading:
a. The GGGI’s Best Practice Framework for the Management of Fishing Gear.
b. The First Sentier MUFG Sustainable Investment Institute’s report Microplastic Pollution: The Causes, Consequences and Issues for Investors.
c. The PRI’s Guides to Investor Engagement on Plastic Packaging for the Petrochemical, Containers and Packaging, Fast-moving Consumer Goods and Waste Management (forthcoming) sectors
5. If investors want to do more, Chronos is keen to hear from investors who might be interested in supporting a scoping project – to be launched in autumn 2021 – aimed at enabling investor action on protecting the world’s fisheries and the marine ecosystem.
[1] Richardson, K., B. Hardesty, C. Wilcox (2019). Estimates of fishing gear loss rates at a global scale: A literature review and meta‐analysis. Fish Fish. 2019; 20: 1218– 1231. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12407