Since 2017, 63 countries - both coastal and landlocked - have joined the Clean Seas Campaign with ambitious pledges and important commitments to prevent marine litter and plastic pollution - explore the map below to learn more.

Countries have pledged to reduce or eradicate single-use plastics from their societies through stronger legislation and regulation; others have committed to invest more in national recycling facilities; while some signatories have promoted action plans to prevent harm to the coastal and marine environment. So far, our signatories represent 60% of the world’s coastlines, however we need to engage more governments to protect our waters, ecosystems and wildlife from marine litter and plastic pollution.

What does it means to be a Clean Seas country? Why is it urgent for more governments to join the momentum? Find out more in this e-book

There are a number of things that governments can do to stem the toxic tide — from running public awareness campaigns, to offering incentives for recycling, and introducing levies or even banning certain plastic products outright.

Dozens of national and local governments around the world have already adopted policies to reduce the use of disposable plastic. And the number continues to grow. Here are some tide-turning national governments and city authorities: (from Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability and news outlets)

Bangladesh

Bangladesh became the first country in the world to ban thin plastic shopping bags in 2002 after plastic bags were found to have exacerbated the deadly flooding of 1988 and blocked drains during floods in 1998. During a public awareness campaign, offenders were told they could face fines of up to US$71 and six months in jail. However, despite public support, the ban was not strictly enforced and plastic bags are still widely used, especially in food markets. A major hurdle is the lack of cheap alternatives.

Ireland

In 2002, the Irish government introduced a tax on plastic bags at points of sale, known as the PlasTax. People were required to pay €0.15 for a bag and the aim was to bring about behaviour change and boost the use of reusable bags. The measure was accompanied by a strong awareness campaign and the revenue earned went into an Environment Fund. Within one year, the use of plastic bags dropped by more than 90 per cent, and the consumption per person fell from 328 plastic bags per year to 21 bags. Before the ban, plastic bags accounted for 5 per cent of national waste; by 2004, this had fallen to 0.22 per cent.

Austria

In 2016, Austria’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLFUW) signed an agreement with large retailers and environmental protection organizations to reduce the use of carrier bags. The aim was to cut the consumption of plastic bags to a maximum of 25 bags per person per year, including any single-use carrier bags made from other materials, such as paper. As of January 2017, most of Austria’s large supermarket chains had voluntarily stopped providing customers with free carrier bags, made from any kind of material.

United Kingdom

In 2015, the United Kingdom introduced a plastic bag charge that has taken around 9 billion plastic bags out of circulation. The levy was introduced to help reduce litter, protect wildlife and influence consumer behaviour after the number of carrier bags given out by the seven major supermarkets rose by 200 million in 2014.

In January 2018, a government ban on plastic microbeads went into effect with the first phase preventing the plastics from being used in the making of cosmetics and cleaning products, followed by a complete sales ban in June that year.

From April 2020, the United Kingdom plans to ban plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, and the government has also been consulting experts on the possibility of introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers.

On the international stage, the UK is urging countries around the world to join a call to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030, and has brought Commonwealth nations together through the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance to pledge further action to eliminate avoidable plastic waste.

In 2019, the British government also extended its support for UNEP’s Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, a global Scout and Girl Guides badge that encourages young people to take action to reduce plastic waste in their own lives and in their communities.

After successfully engaging more than 30,000 Girl Guides and Scouts in West Africa, the badge will be extended to a further 15 countries. Overseen by UNEP,, the badge was developed with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization and partners at the World Organization of the Scout Movement, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Rwanda

In Rwanda, plastic bags used to clog drainage systems, hamper agricultural production and contaminate water sources. In 2008, the government banned the manufacture, use, sale and importation of all plastic bags. Paper bags replaced plastic ones and people also started to use bags made of cotton. Tax incentives were provided to companies willing to invest in plastic recycling equipment or in the manufacture of environmentally friendly bags. Over time, enforcement grew stricter and citizens became used to the regulation. In 2008, the capital Kigali was named the cleanest city in Africa by UN Habitat.

Kenya

Before 2017, about 100 million plastic bags were used in Kenyan supermarkets every year but now the country has the world’s toughest plastic bag ban. In August 2017, a ban on the production, sale, importation and use of plastic carrier bags came into effect, threatening offenders with fines of up to US$38,000 or up to four years in jail. Today, large supermarket chains sell reusable cloth bags and the government encourages all retailers to offer alternatives to plastic bags.

China

China is the world’s top marine plastic polluter and vast amounts of plastic waste are also buried in landfills or dumped in rivers. In 2008, China introduced a ban on bags thinner than 25 microns and a levy on thicker ones. This promoted the use of durable cloth bags and shopping baskets. One year later, the use of plastic bags had fallen by on average 70 per cent, avoiding the use of 40 billion bags. Within seven years, the number of plastic bags used by supermarkets and shopping malls fell by two-thirds, although plastic bags can still be found, especially in rural areas and farmers’ markets due to weak enforcement. In January 2020, China unveiled plans to ban non-degradable bags in major cities by the end of 2020 and in all cities and towns by 2022. Restaurants will also be banned from using single-use plastic straws by the end of 2020, according to the policy released by the state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission. Markets selling fresh produce will, however, be exempt from the bag ban until 2025, while hotels have been told they must not offer free single-use plastic items by 2025. China is also boosting recycling rates and building dozens of “comprehensive resource utilisation” bases to ensure that more products are reused.

India

On World Environment Day in 2018, host India pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country of around 1.3 billion people by 2022 but it subsequently rolled back on implementing a ban, citing the risk of disruption during an economic slowdown. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged Indians to end the consumption of single-use plastics by 2022. India also joined the Clean Seas campaign on World Environment Day and promised to establish a national and regional marine litter action campaign as well as a programme to measure the total marine plastic footprint in India’s coastal waters.

New York

In 2015, single-use Styrofoam containers (EPS foam) were banned in New York City. Shortly after the ban came into effect, the city was sued by a coalition of recycling firms and plastic manufacturers, who claimed that Styrofoam is recyclable and proposed a recycling plan for the foamed plastic items.The ban was overturned that same year by a ruling of the New York Supreme Court but it was reinstated in 2017, following a report by the New York City Department of Sanitation, which found that it is not possible to recycle Styrofoam in a manner that is economically feasible or environmentally effective.The ban applies to all stores that sell or offer polystyrene packaging, and was reinstated with a six-month time window for retailers and customers to adapt to the new legislation. On Earth Day in April 2019, New York passed legislation banning single-use plastic bags. The law also imposes a five-cent fee on paper bags, with part of that going to the Environment Protection Fund and part helping to fund the distribution of reusable bags. The ban came into effect in March 2020.

Costa Rica

On World Environment Day 2017, Costa Rica said it aimed to become the first country in the world to ban all single-use plastics by 2021, announcing a national strategy to phase out all single-use plastics and replace them with alternatives that biodegrade within six months. The aim is to eliminate plastic bags, bottles, cutlery, straws, Styrofoam containers and coffee stirrers.

Antigua and Barbuda

In 2016, the island state was the first in its region to introduce a ban on single-use plastic bags. It also banned the distribution of bags at points of sale that year, starting with supermarkets before extending the measure to smaller shops. Consumers were given reusable bags outside supermarkets and seamstresses and tailors were taught to make the bags in order to meet increased demand. To encourage the use of alternatives, the legislation included a list of materials that would remain tax-free, such as sugar cane, bamboo, paper and potato starch. In the first year, the ban contributed to a 15 per cent decrease in the amount of plastic discarded in landfills. As of January 2018, the country also banned single-use plastic utensils, food trays and egg cartons. In 2019, Antigua and Barbuda joined the Clean Seas campaign.

Chile

In 2017, under the presidency of Michelle Bachelet, Chile banned the use of plastic bags in 100 coastal communities. It also joined the Clean Seas campaign that year, and in 2018 it became the first South American country to ban single-use plastic bags. The legislation gave major retailers one year to stop using plastic bags while small shops had two years to adapt. Those who do not comply will face a US$370 fine.

Ecuador

Ecuador aims to transform the remote Galápagos Islands into a plastics-free archipelago: in 2019, it said no more plastic straws, bags or bottles would be sold or used after August. Volunteers and fishermen have helped clean remote beaches while waste management services have also been reinforced. With an area of 138,000 square kilometers, the Galápagos Marine Reserve is one of the largest in the world and home to more than 2,900 species, many of which are found nowhere else. But humans are altering this pristine ecosystem: plastic rubbish from around the world washes up on beaches here, threatening vulnerable ecosystems as well as the people who depend on those ecosystems for their food and livelihoods.

Mexico City

A ban on plastic bags came into effect in Mexico City on 1 January 2020. The new law prohibits the commercialization of plastic bags in supermarkets and stores. Moving forward towards 2021, local authorities plan to gradually ban other single-use plastic items, including straws, glasses, cutlery and balloons. The move is part of a broader initiative to better cope with the 13,000 tonnes of garbage produced in one of the most populated cities in the western hemisphere every day. Instead of plastic bags, shoppers are using paper cones, called cucuruchos, straw baskets and reusable cloth bags.

Indonesia

In 2017, when Indonesia, the second biggest marine plastic polluter, joined the Clean Seas campaign, it pledged to cut plastic waste in 25 coastal cities and reduce marine litter by 70 per cent by 2025. In January 2020, authorities in the capital Jakarta said they would ban single-use plastic bags from street markets and shopping malls from the middle of the year. The new regulation says retailers should provide environmentally-friendly carrier bags and the penalties for violations will range from written warnings, to fines of anywhere between US$360 and US$1,800, and finally suspension or termination of trading permits.

The Clean Seas campaign also engages businesses, which have a critical role to play in promoting a sustainable circular economy. The oft-cited economic rationale for inaction on plastics is increasingly seen as false and businesses can no longer ignore the scientific evidence and rising public demands for more sustainable practices.

The private sector can lead the way in this endeavour. It is home to the innovators, cutting-edge designers, and thought leaders who can bring about long-lasting change in consumer habits and product design.

From innovators seeking alternatives to plastic to conglomerates pledging to make their packaging more sustainable and easier to recycle, the only limit is imagination.

Here are some corporate tide turners:

The Global Tourism Plastics Initiative

"Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time, and tourism has an important role to play in contributing to the solution." -- UNEP’s Economy Division Director, Ligia Noronha.

Many businesses in the global tourism industry have been among the first to act against plastic pollution, which threatens their livelihoods by destroying the natural beauty upon which they rely. Firms have moved away from single-use plastics, reduced consumption of unnecessary plastics and organized and supported better recycling and reuse schemes. In January 2020, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative was launched to bring the sector together under a common vision to transition to a circular plastic economy and sustainability. Developed by the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet Network, the Initiative is led by UNEP and the World Tourism Organization in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Businesses that sign up to the Initiative have to make a number of pledges, including to eliminate problematic or unnecessary packaging and items by 2025 and to take action to move from single-use to re-use models or reusable alternatives by 2025.

New Plastics Economy Global Commitment

"Addressing plastic pollution requires a fundamental system shift, from a linear to a circular economy for plastic, which is at the core of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The 2019 Progress Report shows how leading businesses and governments are taking actions in such a systemic way, thus demonstrating this makes business and political sense. The benefits represent a huge opportunity and the concerted approach leaves no excuses not to act.” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Launched in 2018, the Global Commitment works to eliminate the plastic we do not need, to innovate so that the plastic we do need is 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable, and to circulate all the plastic we use. It now includes over 400 signatories, including companies representing 20 percent of all plastic packaging produced globally. The Global Commitment’s first progress report was published in 2019 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UNEP and included pledges by companies to eliminate problematic plastic packaging and increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging more than five-fold by 2025, equivalent to keeping 25 million barrels of oil in the ground every year. On average around 60 per cent of business signatories’ plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable today, and they have committed to reach 100 percent by 2025. Government signatories, including France, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, and the cities of São Paulo (Brazil) and Austin (USA), are putting in place policy measures that include bans, public procurement, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, fiscal measures, and incentives for research and development.

NextWave Plastics

“The goal is to turn off the tap of plastic going into the water". Dune Ives, Executive Director of Lonely Whale.

In 2017, computer giant Dell and the nonprofit Lonely Whale created NextWave Plastics, an initiative for developing products made of ocean-bound plastic. The consortium of multinational technology and consumer brands includes Dell, HP, General Motors, Ikea, Herman Miller, Humanscale, Trek Bicycle, Interface, Solgaard, and Bureo. NextWave aims to divert a minimum of 25,000 tonnes of plastics, the equivalent of 1.2 billion single-use plastic water bottles, from entering the ocean by the end of 2025. 

The Clean Seas campaign has also inspired individuals from all walks of life to take action. More than 111,000 people have taken the Clean Seas pledge to reduce their plastic footprint with many turning to social media to share their experiences and encourage others to follow their example, using #CleanSeas or #BeatPlasticPollution.

From shoppers refusing plastic-smothered goods in supermarkets to Internet influencers inspiring others with their zero-waste lifestyles and from tech-savvy innovators to equally tech-savvy children, a worldwide awakening has taken hold and is questioning the careless, consumerist culture that has contributed to our current plastic addiction.Some inspired citizens have gone the extra mile to fight for cleaner seas.

Read more about these inspired and inspiring tide turners below:

Miao Wang

“The Young Champions of the Earth Prize has been critical to help us expand our international influence … When we got the award, we were one of the very few Chinese organizations focused on marine ecosystem issues. Over the last two years, we have seen a trend: more people are focusing on these issues owing to our recognition through the prize and UNEP’s #CleanSeas campaign, urging government and civil society to focus more on marine plastic issues. It was great timing for us" -- Miao Wang.

In 2018, Chinese diver Miao Wang was named a UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for founding Better Blue, a global network that aims to redefine the diving industry and empower every diver and diving centre to become advocates for marine conservation. To do this, Better Blue is involved in citizen science, marine public education, industry development support and the protection of endangered species and their habitats. It trains people within diving communities and holds events to raise awareness about conservation. Today, Better Blue is one of China’s top ranking marine non-governmental organizations as measured by its fundraising efforts, offline activities and exposure. It has 14 city communities, nine cooperated diving centres and six university associations. It has cooperated with marathons and organized exhibitions and ocean talks to bring marine conservation to larger audiences offline. Wang says she aims to empower diving communities to contribute to finding and implementing solutions to marine pollution and other threats like ocean warming and acidification.

Philip Beale

"We need to take the Phoenician approach to innovation. Humanity has benefitted hugely from the invention of plastic—from transportation to the health sector. However, the plastic pollution problem is now out of control. Single-use, unnecessary plastics can be found everywhere, and our consumption of it is not slowing down. We need innovative substitutes to plastic, and the courage for individuals, the private sector and governments to prioritize the phasing out of disposable plastics.” UNEP’s Head of Advocacy, Atif Butt.  

British adventurer and Phoenician enthusiast Philip Beale sailed his replica of a Phoenician ship from Tunisia to the United States in 2019 to raise awareness about plastic pollution and collect data about the extent of the problem. Beale, film producer Yuri Sanada and a crew of about 10 people set off on the 6,000-mile voyage in The Phoenicia in September. The 20-metre-long replica trawled through the ocean, collecting microplastics, as it travelled from Carthage, Tunisia through to Cadiz (Spain), Essaouira (Morocco), Tenerife (Canary Islands) and Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) before finally arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 4 February 2020.

Miranda Wang

"Globally, only 9 per cent of plastics produced are actually recycled. That’s because as a society, we lack recycling technologies that can make virgin-quality products from plastic waste. My project is a social impact startup, developing and scaling up a new technology to recycle unrecyclable plastics." Miranda Wang.

Canadian biologist, engineer and innovator Miranda Wang won UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth prize in 2018 for her work to develop a new technique to recycle plastic. In 2017, she co-invented a novel chemical recycling process with Jeanny Yao and since then she has co-founded BioCellection Inc to scale up the process, working with city governments, waste management companies and material manufacturers. California-based Biocellection’s technology breaks down plastics into chemical building blocks, upcycling them into higher value materials for manufacturing. The aim is to reduce the amount of plastics sent to oceans and landfills. Wang is BioCellection’s CEO. The company has already completed two thirds of a pilot programme to test the technology at scale with the City of San José, California, and other tests have already been completed, with Google among others.

Sam Bencheghib

"Although there were so many obstacles along the way, this run has taught me so much about the plastic industry in this country and the lack of awareness, education and action going on when it comes to plastic." Sam Bencheghib

In July 2019, Sam Bencheghib, 22, embarked upon an epic run of around 3,000 miles from New York to Los Angeles to raise awareness about ocean pollution and the Clean Seas campaign. His Ocean2Ocean run took him across 13 states, averaging 20 miles a day for six months. He finished in February 2020 by jumping into the Pacific Ocean. Bencheghib, who grew up in Bali and founded a youth-led environmental organization to clean the coastlines with his brothers there, wanted to highlight the challenges that Americans face in reducing their plastic footprint and to instigate action. His organization is now called Make a Change World. Bencheghib wore shoes made from upcycled plastic trash and bought only items with zero-waste packaging along his way. He also collected plastic trash as he ran, keeping it with him until he found somewhere to recycle it. Along the way, he visited universities, schools, recycling facilities, environmental activists and governments, meeting more than 9,000 people.

Tiza Mafira

"Plastic is such a tangible thing. It is visible, you use it every day, you see it, and you can witness the sheer volume of its destruction to the environment. This is not something you can deny … As such the pathways to stopping the destruction are much clearer - not easier, but clearer. You either ban it where it is unnecessary or change it to compostable material. This simplicity gives me hope and, at the very least, it gives me a clear vision of what to fight for." Tiza Mafira.

For years, lawyer Tiza Mafira has been at the forefront of moves to ban single-use plastic bags in her native Indonesia, the second-largest contributor to marine plastic pollution after China. Mafira is director of the Indonesia Plastic Bag Diet Movement, which in 2015 launched a petition asking retailers to no longer give out plastic bags for free. The following year, a nationwide trial of a plastic bag charge was introduced. After six months, there had been a 55 per cent reduction in the use of plastic bags. Several provinces began to prepare their own regulations and two cities in Indonesia have banned plastic bags in modern retail stores. Since then, there has been more progress. In January 2020, authorities in the capital Jakarta said they would ban single-use plastic bags from street markets and shopping malls from the middle of the year. The new regulation says retailers should provide environmentally-friendly carrier bags and the penalties for violations will range from written warnings, to fines of anywhere between US$360 and US$1,800, and finally suspension or termination of trading permits. Mafira also campaigns for the creation of zero-waste cities, where every single piece of trash biodegrades in nature or circles back to become a raw material for production.

"Although there were so many obstacles along the way, this run has taught me so much about the plastic industry in this country and the lack of awareness, education and action going on when it comes to plastic." Sam Bencheghib

Afroz shah

"What we have to ban is what is in our heads and hearts: our empathy towards plastic, our disconnect with nature, our disconnect towards the ocean. There are plenty of laws, policies and regulations, which govern the use and misuse of plastic, but we have to ask, is this law or policy going to change people’s hearts and minds?" Afroz Shah.

Indian lawyer Afroz Shah became the face of the world’s largest beach cleanup after he decided in 2015 that something had to be done to tackle the mounds of plastic trash covering Mumbai’s Versova beach. He had moved into an apartment overlooking the beach and was horrified by the waste littering the shoreline. With his neighbour, he started picking up the trash but soon his personal mission was attracting dozens of volunteers every weekend to join what Shah called his weekend “dates with the ocean”. Shah and the volunteers collected millions of kilograms of waste and the months of backbreaking work paid off: in March 2018, volunteers spotted around 80 olive ridley turtle hatchlings heading towards the sea. The vulnerable turtles had not been seen on the beach for decades. Over the years, Shah, who was recognized with a UNEP Champions of the Earth award in 2016, has been joined on the beach by slum-dwellers, Bollywood stars, foreign diplomats and politicians. To this day, he and his volunteers clean beaches and mangrove swamps and visit schools to educate children about what they do. Shah also works among the 50,000-strong population of two beach-side settlements -- what he calls human-ocean conflict zones -- to educate residents about the devastating effects of plastic litter and turn them into zero-waste communities.

Lewis Pugh

"It's almost as if we have taken out all the fish in the ocean and replaced them with plastics. We need to get these two issues under control very quickly: eliminate the use of avoidable single-use plastics and stop overfishing because if we don't do that our children and our grandchildren will not have a sustainable future and it will devastate all the incredible wildlife in our oceans, which it is currently doing." Lewis Pugh.  

Endurance swimmer and UNEP Patron of the Oceans, Lewis Pugh has put his life on the line time and again to raise awareness of the need to protect our seas. He was the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean in the world and has also swum across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to draw attention to the melting of the glaciers. In August 2018, Pugh completed an epic swim along the length of the English Channel to raise awareness of the need to do more to protect our oceans from threats such as plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change. He was the first person to complete this feat in just Speedos, goggles and a cap. He undertook the brutal swim to drive home the message that governments need to commit to fully protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030. In January 2020, Pugh swam one kilometre under a melting ice sheet in East Antarctica, the coldest place on earth, to demonstrate the rapid pace of climate change and advocate for the creation of a marine protected area in the region.

Youth are central in achieving a more sustainable and healthier planet. Young people have a special role in instigating change and action on pressing global challenges. Equally, they are pivotal to finding innovative solutions that speak to local and global realities. Platforms and initiatives across UNEP have given relevant roles to young people, developing meaningful engagement in the environmental space. UNEP recognizes the importance of working with and for young people. 

Young Champions of the Earth

UNEP's Young Champions of the Earth Award celebrates the outstanding initiatives from young people to work towards a better planet.

Tide Turners

The World Scout Organization has teamed up with UNEP and the Clean Seas Campaign to launch the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge, a programme where young people can learn about plastic pollution and incite change in their communities.

Fresh off the press in 2022, in collaboration with Lonely Whale, UNEP's Tide Turner Programme produced a playbook for change which shares the findings of the world's first ever global survey of young environmental leaders, with a focus on how to meaningfully engage youth. Click to view the new playbook.

Uncommon Ground Web Series

UNEP launches a new web series discussing ways in which engaging youth can bring about a generational shift in tackling the triple planetary crisis. The first episode of Uncommon Ground focuses on how plastic pollution contributes to the triple planetary crisis and what youth can do to change this. 

UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors

Aidan Gallagher - Aidan Gallagher is one of the youngest Goodwill Ambassadors ever to be designated in the United Nations system. Gallagher’s goal is to use his celebrity status, and true passion for the cause, to help save the world’s oceans and species by raising awareness of critical environmental issues.

Wang Junkai - Wang Junkai, also known as Karry Wang, is a singer and actor with more than 40 million followers in China and abroad. On his 18th birthday, Wang announced the set up his own charity foundation—Kindle Blue Fund which focuses on youth-led innovation.

Ocean Heroes Network

A youth organization co-founded by Captain Planet Foundation and Lonely Whale. Every year, the broader Ocean Heroes Network holds Ocean Heroes Bootcamp, an annual event to empower young leaders to create their own campaigns against ocean plastic pollution to support the achievement of UN SDG 14.1 by 2025.

Ocean Heroes HQ has also recently launched a magazine called OH-Wake, an excellent youth-created resource made for other youth activists.

As a $620B industry, sport is deeply embedded in communities around the world with a distinct platform that can be leveraged to safeguard the environment. Sport has the power and universal public appeal to establish a long-lasting platform for creating change and pushing policy action forward.

The future growth of sport business lies at the epicenter of advancing sustainable development. The sport industry plays a vital role in shaping culture, societal norms and values, influencing modern politics, and fueling economic growth across major business sectors. It is also at the forefront of innovation and smart technology, sustainability, and climate change, demonstrated in sport event planning and logistics and the upgrading of external and internal stadium infrastructure. Sustainable urban solutions can be advanced for the benefit of all by recognizing the key role and value of integrating sport within the discussion on sustainable development and addressing the triple planetary crises by promoting healthier, safer, and more prosperous cities and their environments.

Sport has an unrivaled capacity to motivate and inspire large numbers of people, transecting polarized and divided communities to promote a broader vision and need for collective action. Sport, from recreation to semi-professional to elite athletics, has the both the duty and the unique opportunity to actively contribute to the global sustainability and ocean conservation discussion.

We use our seas, lakes, mountains and parks to be involved in sport, to live healthier and happier lives. Yet, plastic pollution can have a direct impact on sport ranging from ocean and water-specific sport such as surfing and sailing to land-based sport, including hiking, cycling, running, and the standard team sports. It is now, more important than ever, to encourage sport organizations to be more ambitious in their sustainability plans and make more concerted efforts in its use of plastics in hosting regular season events and mega-events, addressing plastics in the supply chain of sport equipment production and consumption, highlighting the presence of microplastics in high-performance apparel, etc.

The Clean Seas campaign celebrates federations, leagues, teams, and other sporting organizations that are enhancing the circularity in the way plastics are used and kept in the economy, by:

1. reducing the overall amount of plastic used in problematic uses (single-use and/or hard-to-recycle products, etc.);
2. enhancing the “circularity” of plastics in the economy;
3. ensuring that loops are closed at the end of life;
4. addressing existing pollution in the environment (“legacy plastics”).

Some examples of sporting organizations and events that are turning the tide on plastic include:

International Olympic Committee

“Plastic pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing our environment today and sport – like any other industry – has an urgent responsibility to address it. The IOC’s Plastic Game Plan for Sport aims to provide sports organizations, event organizers, athletes and fans with clear, step-by-step guidance on how to eliminate plastic waste from their operations and everyday lives.” - Marie Sallois, IOC Director of Corporate and Sustainable Development.

In June 2018, the International Olympic Committee announced an ambitious plan to eliminate single-use plastics from the organization and its events around the world with seven major sporting bodies and representatives from over 20 National Olympic Committees taking action in support of the Clean Seas campaign. World Sailing, the International Association of Athletics Federations, the International Triathlon Union, the International Ice Hockey Federation, World Rugby, World Golf and the International Surfing Association were among the organizations to sign up to cut plastic waste.

The IOC has taken action to reduce waste at its headquarters with thousands of items being removed, as well as at the Olympic Museum, and is working to drive responsible material use at all IOC events in collaboration with its suppliers.

In January 2020, in collaboration with UNEP, the IOC launched a new guide, Plastic Game Plan for Sport, to assist sporting organizations, from amateur to professional sport, tackle plastic pollution. The guide provides event organizers with actionable steps and tips on how to create effective plans to reduce plastic waste.

Xiamen International Marathon

“We take our environmental responsibilities very seriously. We have taken steps towards becoming a sustainable and green sport but there is still lots of potential to explore. We are delighted that all of our environmental work has been aligned with this international organization. Partners are increasingly joining the fight against pollution.” - Hua Yun, Xiamen Marathon Committee.  

The Xiamen International Marathon has sought to become a model of sustainability in sport. The race, which attracts tens of thousands of runners to the Chinese coastal city of Xiamen every year, joined the Clean Seas campaign in 2019, becoming the first marathon event to do so.

In 2019, the marathon organizers pledged to reduce plastic waste by 60 per cent through a series of measures that included replacing nearly 1 million single-use plastic cups with biodegradable ones made from maize straw. Single-use plastic bottles were also banned, eliminating some 200,000 bottles that would usually be discarded along the route.

In 2020, they went a step further, reusing and recycling waste wherever possible and setting up a plastic bank at the end of the course to encourage participants to deposit plastic to be recycled and used at next year’s marathon.

Windsurfing World Cup

"Sporting events, especially those that make use of the natural features of our land and sea that risk being lost to climate change have a huge opportunity to raise awareness of the global climate emergency. Sylt is on the frontline of climate change and it is exciting to see it step up to be on the frontline for positive climate action too." UNEP climate change expert Niklas Hagelberg.

In 2019, the world windsurfing championship on the tiny German island of Sylt was the most sustainable yet. Partnering with the Clean Seas campaign, organizers banned plastic bottles and disposable cutlery and arranged a beach clean-up so that all litter was removed after the event. All advertising material was recycled, mangroves were planted through sponsorship and the whole event was powered exclusively by green electricity. The event on the island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, attracted 32 competing nations and was attended by 200,000 people. Awareness of the risks from climate change and environmental degradation is high on Sylt, which is vulnerable to sea-level rise and ocean surges from more frequent storms.

Around the world, thousands of young people are showing that they are committed to turning the tide on plastic pollution. The Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge is a Clean Seas initiative that educates young people around the world about plastic pollution giving them the tools to change their personal behaviour, inspire their communities, and create a better future for our planet.

Reach and Country focus

Since its launch in February 2019, the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge Badge has made a big splash with 362 000 young participants and representation from thirty countries including Algeria, Abu Dhabi, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Zambia.

Programme delivery:

The programme takes the participants on a learning journey consisting of three different levels: entry, leader, and champion. The young people who make it to the champion level will have gained a thorough understanding of marine plastic pollution and how to address it, and are well equipped to become leaders in their communities on an issue that is one of the biggest environmental challenges we are facing. Tide Turners Plastic Challenge is one key challenge of the Earth Tribe, a ground-breaking initiative that offers young people an opportunity to learn and act around key environmental issues aggregated on one platform.

We are a circular economy movement based in East Africa whose vision is a world without single-use plastic. We showcase alternate uses of waste plastic and the viability of a circular economy in Africa through our education programmes, our innovation hubs and our advocacy and governance programmes.

Lamu Archipelago 2022

THE FLIPFLOPI IS SETTING SAIL AGAIN ON A SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO MAP THE IMPACT OF MARINE LITTER IN THE WESTERN INDIAN OCEAN. 

As the plastic pollution crisis reaches the top of the global agenda, we all know more needs to be done to understand the real impact and extent of plastic damage on our oceans and seas. This is why we’re setting sail around the Lamu Archipelago to measure the presence of nano, micro and macroplastics in our oceans. These findings will be used to inform the development of sustainable solutions and locally-relevant waste management solutions. 

On a 2 week expedition, Flipflopi partners and members from the scientific community will be mapping the extent of marine litter, uniting communities beginning to tackle plastic waste in their immediate environments, holding events to raise the profile of plastic pollution and force action from communities and legislators and finally, prove the need to establish closed-loop community-led waste management systems.

Flipflopi Lamu to Zanzibar

The power of citizen activism to inspire change was vividly illustrated in Kenya where entrepreneurs, volunteers and boatbuilders came together to build a traditional dhow out of recycled plastic and flip flops to spread the message that plastic waste makes no sense. The flamboyant Flipflopi set off from the island of Lamu in January 2019 and sailed 500km to Zanzibar, stopping at towns and cities along the way to spark a #plasticrevolution. The aim was to inspire communities to think again about discarding their plastic waste, and to encourage people to use less plastic in the first place.

The Clean Seas campaign was delighted to support the Flipflopi’s voyage, which was widely covered in the world’s media. During the dhow’s trip, almost 40 businesses in Kenya and Tanzania pledged to reduce their use of plastic bottles and straws. 

"Everybody is inspired by our project and the message is being delivered. Thousands of people are visiting us. All the time, the boat is full of people … We believe plastic today is going to get out of our continent." -- Ali Skanda, master boatbuilder and member of Flipflopi team.

Flipflopi Lake Victoria Expedition

Covering more than 68,8000 square kilometres, Lake Victoria is the largest tropical lake in the world and the world’s second-largest freshwater lake. Population growth around the lake has skyrocketed, but few additional sources of revenue have been discovered on shore for the estimated 53 million people in the basin area.

Lake Victoria has long struggled with declining fish stocks, attributable to overfishing as well as the emergence of invasive plant species, such as the water hyacinth, as well as the impacts of climate change.

But increasingly, it’s pollution and the preponderance of microplastics that is choking the lake and shutting off this economic engine for the three countries. A recent study estimated that one in five of the fish in Lake Victoria had ingested plastic.

In recent years, global attention to marine litter and plastic pollution has surged. Estimates show that rivers transport upwards of millions of tons of plastic into the oceans every year. Some 95% of that discharge comes from only 10 rivers, 8 of which are in Asia. Amongst those 8 are the Mekong and the Ganges rivers, the lifeblood for hundreds of millions of people in South-East Asia and India. However, scientific knowledge on marine plastic litter and effective countermeasures remains insufficient to tackle the problem properly.

Millions of tons of plastic waste flows from rivers into the ocean every year. Only ten of the world’s rivers are responsible for up to 95% of it. Until recently, we knew little about how that waste actually ended up in these river systems. Using cutting edge technology, UNEP’s CounterMEASURE project has been working with communities along Asian rivers including the Mekong and Ganges Rivers to map where and how plastic waste is entering the waterways. Citizen science is a key part of this effort, alongside drone imaging, machine learning and GIS algorithms. Using the project app, communities are able to identify plastic waste hotspots to help find how plastic is leaking into rivers. In the second phase of the project, CounterMEASURE is collaborating closely with Clean Seas to build a campaign for plastic-free rivers. Visit countermeasure.asia to learn more and find out how you can help

There are now 212 aquariums in 41 countries in this network hosted by Clean Seas. Find out more about the engaging work being undertaken by aquariums around the world.

Around the world, Aquariums are doing their bit to educate visitors about the plastic pollution problem.

2017

The European Commission launched the Campaign “World Aquariums Against Marine Litter”. The campaign is an EU contribution to the #CleanSeas Campaign and designed to raise awareness on marine plastic litter ahead of  “Our Ocean Conference” (October 2017). Almost one hundred aquariums across 5 continents joined the Campaign.

2018

As a result of its success, the Campaign is transformed into a formal commitment announced by the EU Commission, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco and UNEP .

This coalition of Aquarium is called “World Aquariums Against Plastic Pollution” (for ease of use, we now refer to the coalition as the Aquaria coalition) . The aquariums that are part of the coalition organise permanent activities in their facilities and are invited to change their procurement policies with regards to single use plastic products. The announcement of the “World Aquariums Against Plastic Pollution” followed the overwhelming vote in the European Parliament on the Commission’s proposal to ban certain single use plastics by 2021. 

2019

The coalition is strong of 212 aquariums in 41 countries. In March, the European Parliament sealed the ban on single use plastic cutlery, cotton buds, straws and stirrers by 2021.

2020

Handover ceremony of the “World Aquariums Against Plastic Pollution” Campaign to the Oceanographic Insitute of Monaco and to UNEP. The coordination of the campaign is to be hosted under the Clean Seas Campaign.

Under the leadership of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative (MRCTI), the mayors of the Mississippi River, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the National Geographic Society and the University of Georgia have launched an initiative to combat plastic pollution along one of the world’s greatest waterways. This initiative will generate a first-ever snapshot of the state of plastic pollution along the river.

Up to 80% of the plastic in oceans originates from land-based sources. Plastic waste and other litter travels through storm drains and smaller waterways into the Mississippi River and its tributaries—the drainage system for 40% of the United States—and ultimately makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and into the ocean. However, there are very few snapshots or baselines of the actual state of plastic litter along the river’s banks.

This initiative is intended to address this gap by finding the right balance between scientific rigor and the feasibility of data collection. The goal is to generate as rich a picture as possible of the extent, type and brand of plastic litter along the river within a small amount of time.

The Mississippi River is America’s most essential inland waterway, providing billions of gallons of fresh water to key industries and drinking water to 20 million people in 50 cities every day. Marine debris, including plastic pollution, continuously enters the Mississippi River and poses a large threat to environmental quality and ecosystem health.

Through Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative, thousands of community volunteers have collected data along the upper, middle and lower Mississippi River to increase our understanding of the state of plastic pollution along the river. Data is collected through a ‘citizen science’ approach using a free and open-source mobile app for tracking upstream and coastal litter called the Marine Debris Tracker. This data is being used to generate a critical baseline which decision-makers, in both the private and public sectors, can use to guide and evaluate their efforts to reduce plastic pollution and to ultimately inspire effective policy action.

This is an expedition led by the Schurmann Family to witness and record, on the spot, what is happening in the oceans, navigate in search for innovative solutions, raise awareness and engage people around the world about the need of urgent actions. The project will involve scientists, environmentalists, NGOs, the private sector, governments and civil society, with proposals to reverse the destruction scenario of the seas, because the excess of plastic polution. The initiative also involves entrepreneurship, as well as education action plans, and it has the global support of the UN Environment Programme and the Plastic Soup Foundation.

The expedition is going to depart from Santa Catarina (Brazil), in August 2021, to arrive in New Zealand in 2023.

Schurmann Family

Being national and internationally known for its expeditions, sea adventures and film and TV productions, the Schurmann Family is the first Brazilian family to travel around the world aboard a sailboat. This achievement has already happened two other times, up to now. This story of challenges and success began in 1984, when Vilfredo and Heloisa Schurmann left Florianópolis, in Santa Catarina, with their children Wilhelm, David and Pierre – 7, 10 and 15 years old at that time. Together, parents and children fulfilled their dream of exchanging land for life at sea by sailing the Brazilian coast and the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian oceans until they completed their first trip around the world. From its departure to its return to Brazil, ten years of adventure had passed, getting to know different peoples and cultures, while the boys grew up and studied on board. After the adventure was completed in 1994, the Schurmann Family entered history and it was never the same. From this experience, the land became a place of passage and the sea its home.

Innovation

Spin and Voice of the Oceans together embark on a global journey to identify and select innovative startups that seek to bring alternative solutions to reduce the impacts generated by the production, consumption and disposal of plastic and micro plastic.

Scientific

In partnership with Infinito Mare, the scientific initiative will investigate the different levels of impact that the oceans are suffering. It will analyze water quality and the biogeochemistry of the oceans. A highly efficiency and sustainability autonomous system will be installed on board to analyze and monitor the expedition.

Educational

A partnership with IRAPA and SuperEco was made with the objective of profoundly addressing the theme of Education through the Oceans, bringing information and transformation to

students and aiming to reduce the damage caused to the environment, marine diversity and human life.