July 3rd marksĀ International Plastic Bag Free Day, which is part of theĀ #breakfreefromplastic movement, a global movement envisioning a future free from plastic pollution. Preventing and reducing plastic pollution is an important topic for The Economist GroupāsĀ World Ocean InitiativeĀ (WOI). An often-cited statistic from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation shows why: by 2050 there could be a larger tonnage of plastic than of fish in the ocean. With only around 14% of plastic being recycled worldwide, a staggeringĀ US$80bn-120bn is lost to the global economy per year.
In a blog for WOI, I discuss how our recent coverage highlights the need for systemic change, concerted corporate action and international collaboration. Read the full blog here.
More posts on the ocean economy:
- Attending the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan
- Earth Day 2025: Marine Conservation Society launches Big Give appeal to keep “forever chemicals” out of ocean, forever
- How to shape global standards for blue data, technology and capacity building
- Speaking about the zero-pollution ocean, the Global Plastics Treaty and global standards for blue data at the World Ocean Summit
- Speaking at Economist Impact’s 12th annual World Ocean Summit & Expo in Tokyo