The following statement was issued by Susan Ruffo, managing director of international initiatives at Ocean Conservancy, on May 14:

“The agreement to amend the Basel Convention lays bare one of the root causes of the ocean plastic crisis: broken waste collection and recycling systems around the world. Scientists estimate that 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean every year, mostly from developing countries where plastic waste often has nowhere else to go. The fact that wealthier nations have for so long simply shipped much of their plastic waste abroad shows just how much work we all have in front of us to close the loop and create a truly circular economy. We hope that by increasing plastic waste transparency with an eye toward safety and sustainability, the amendment will encourage communities everywhere to develop sustainable, locally appropriate solutions to manage their waste and keep plastics out of the ocean. The ocean plastic crisis requires action by all of us.”

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Note to editors:

Ocean Conservancy has been tracking and fighting marine debris since 1986, when the organization mobilized its first annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). To date, volunteers have collected more than 300 million pounds of trash from beaches and waterways around the world. The ICC continues to be the world’s largest single-day volunteer effort on behalf of the ocean, with events taking place in more than 100 countries.

Recognizing that cleanups alone would not stem the time of ocean trash, Ocean Conservancy supported the convening in 2010 of an independent, scientific working group to study the sources, fate and impacts of ocean plastics. That working group led to research published in the journal Science in 2015 showing that eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year, much of it from just a few rapidly developing countries in Southeast Asia where waste management has not kept pace with economic growth. In 2012 launched the Trash Free Seas Alliance® to unite scientists, conservationists and private sector leaders to identify realistic and meaningful solutions to the ocean plastic crisis. Since then, Alliance members have committed to investing in waste collection and management solutions, including through Circulate Capital, the world’s first investment management firm dedicated to funding waste collection enterprises in parts of the world that need it most.

For more information on Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas® program, visit www.oceanconservancy.org/trashfreeseas.

About Ocean Conservancy:

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create science-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit www.oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.