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.