Today, single-use plastics account for over a third of plastics produced every year, with 98% manufactured from fossil fuels, releasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and contributing to climate change.  Plastic pollution is especially devastating to marine ecosystems. The use of chemical additives in plastic may be hazardous to human health. UNEP studies show that there is a considerable risk of microplastic particles transferring toxins into the food chain when marine animals ingest plastic particles.

Countries in Asia and the Pacific are at the center of the marine litter and plastic pollution crisis – with some countries in the region representing the biggest contributors and others disproportionately affected by the impacts of marine plastic debris on their shores.

According to studies by the Minderoo foundation, tens of billions of dollars are spent annually globally on the efforts to stem the flow of more than one million metric tons of plastic into rivers and oceans, but these efforts do little to tackle the pollution at source.

On the current trajectory, plastic pollution could rise from 11 million MT to 29 million MT the next 20 years.  Using existing technologies, ocean plastic flows can be reduced by 80%  in the same time frame.

To achieve that, the scale and scope of commitments by governments, industry and investors need to be significantly augmented to better mitigate and manage current challenges.

This session, convened as part of the inaugural reginal Science-Policy-Business Forum in the Asia-Pacific, will examine the impacts of marine litter and plastic pollution on the environment in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on the voluntary and policy actions and solutions that governments, investors and industry need to take in order to overcome the current crisis