Action Plan for Solutions on Marine Litter
On November 16 and 17, plastics industry representatives
from across the world met in Dubai to create a global action
plan for solutions on marine litter. This action plan describes
actions to be taken, and progress to be reported, by signatories
in 2012. Today approximately 99 projects have been
identified, which will be carried out in 32 countries, in addition
to the global activities supported by all signatories.
Recognizing that solutions to marine litter will require
global cooperation, the plastics industry is inviting other
interested stakeholders to join in these actions and others
to prevent marine litter. William R. Carteaux, president
and CEO of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association,
said the meeting was “an excellent move toward meaningful
progress by plastics industry representatives from
around the world who are committed to the global action
plan for solutions on marine litter.” SPI Vice President,
Science, Technology and Regulatory Affairs, Melissa
Hockstad, who attended the Dubai meeting, added “Since
creating the Operation Clean Sweep (www.opcleansweep.org) program in 1992 to help plastic resin handling
operations implement good housekeeping and achieve
zero pellet loss, SPI has worked diligently toward marine
debris and litter solutions. We are pleased to be part of
this global plastics industry initiative to build partnerships
that will bring further solutions.”
The “Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter” has
been adopted by 54 plastics industry organizations so far.
It outlines a six-point strategy for industry action, and
advocates close cooperation with a broad range of stakeholders
to shape solutions for the marine environment.
The activities undertaken by the global plastics industry
will be publicly available at: www.marinelittersolutions.org. The website has been launched in English, and will
over time display the content in different languages.
For more information, see www.marinelittersolutions.org.
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