Protecting ocean ecosystems from plastic pollution

These innovations are pulling plastic pollution out of rivers to stop it reaching our ocean.

The sheer scale of the challenge is daunting. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) says 8 million tonnes of plastic waste end up in our oceans every year, and forecasts suggest this could double by 2025 if we don’t take drastic action. The UNEP chart below shows that more than 90% of all ocean plastic is being swept into the seas from just 10 of the world’s great river systems.