www.ospar.org
Eliminating Plastic
and Microplastic
Pollution:
OSPAR Actions on
Marine Litter
John Mouat
www.ospar.org
Photo: F.Kirckhof
Deputy Secretary
OSPAR Commission
OSPAR Commission
16 Contracting Parties
•
Belgium
•
Denmark
•
Finland
•
France
•
Germany
•
Iceland
•
Ireland
•
Luxembourg
•
The Netherlands
•
Norway
•
Portugal
OSPAR Maritime Area and Regions:
•
Spain
Region I: Arctic Waters
•
Sweden
Region II: Greater North Sea
•
Switzerland
Region III: Celtic Seas
•
The United Kingdom
•
Region IV: Bay of Biscay/Iberian Coast
European Union
www.ospar.org
Region V: Wider Atlantic
We note that quantities of litter in many areas of the
North-East Atlantic are unacceptable, and therefore
we will continue to develop reduction measures and
targets, taking into consideration an ambitious
target resulting in a reduction in 2020
www.ospar.org
Entanglement
Ingestion
Socioeconomic
Impacts
Impact on Threatened/
Declining Species
www.ospar.org
Plastic in fulmars stomachs
www.ospar.org
www.ospar.org
Beach Litter Southern North Sea
www.ospar.org
www.ospar.org
The North-East Atlantic
Environment Strategy
“develop appropriate
programmes and measures to
reduce amounts of litter in the
marine environment and to stop
litter entering the marine
environment, both from seabased and land-based sources”
www.ospar.org
OSPAR Regional
Action Plan on
Marine Litter, 2014
• Sea-Based
• Land-based
• Removal
• Education and outreach
www.ospar.org
Key Action Areas
• Port Reception Facilities
• Waste from Fishing
industry
• Fines for littering at sea
• Fishing for Litter
• Abandoned and lost
Fishing gear
• Floating Litter hotspots
• Education and outreach
www.ospar.org
• Improved waste
management
• Sewage/stormwater run-off
• Reduction of single use
items
• Removal of micro plastics
from products/zero pellet
loss
• Redesign of harmful
products
Microplastics in cosmetic products
Engage with all
appropriate sectors
(manufacturing, retail
etc.) to explore the
possibility of a voluntary
agreement to phase out
the use of micro plastics
as a component in
personal care and
cosmetic products.
www.ospar.org
Other sources of microplastics
Evaluate all products
and processes that
include primary micro
plastics and act, if
appropriate, to reduce
their impact on the
marine environment.
www.ospar.org
Sewage/Storm Water
Investigate and promote with
appropriate industries the use
of Best Available Techniques
(BAT) and Best Environmental
Practice (BEP) to develop
sustainable and cost-effective
solutions to reduce and prevent
sewage and storm water
related waste entering the
marine environment, including
micro particles.
www.ospar.org
Cooperation with Stakeholders
• Many actions will need
input from stakeholders
outside OSPAR
• RAP highlights the need
to work with other
international
organisations, NGO’s,
Industry and other
stakeholders
• Stakeholder involvement
from the start
www.ospar.org
www.ospar.org
www.ospar.org