SUP-Directive
Single use plastics, most of which come from packaging, is an ever larger source of the plastic soup. The European Union intends to take action and has thus compiled the SUP-Directive.
Sustainable Development
The principle of ‘sustainable development’ is generally accepted and enshrined in many international conventions. The basis for this principle is that future generations should not suffer the disadvantages of our economic and social development. The earth must remain liveable for everyone. We can all grow economically, but that growth should not affect the carrying capacity of the earth. When development is not sustainable, critical ecological limits could be overstepped. The production and use of plastic promote economic growth and user-friendliness for people, but at the same time it is a major threat to ‘System Earth.’
Plastic soup is a planetary boundary
Nine planetary boundaries for the Earth have been proposed by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, acidification of the oceans, and chemical pollution. When these planetary boundaries are crossed, ecological recovery may no longer be possible. Scientists argued in 2018 that the plastic soup is also a planetary boundary. Plastic in the environment is irreversible (it is difficult or impossible to clean up, especially the microplastics) and plastic is everywhere (and increasing in concentration). Plastic pollution has a wide range of negative ecological consequences. That is why there is every reason to believe that plastic has a lasting negative effect on ‘System Earth.’
Uncontrolled population growth
In less than the time span of an average human life, the environmental problem of the plastic soup has arisen. There were 2.5 billion people in the world in 1950, around 4 billion in 1975 and 7.5 billion in 2017. In the year 2050, there could be 10 billion. The rapidly growing world population is mainly concentrated in megacities. Most of these cities of more than ten million inhabitants are situated on the coast. All city dwellers use plastic on a daily basis, often single-use plastic as packaging material. Slums and a lack of proper waste collection are characteristic of these megacities. A lot of waste is simply dumped in landfill. It is, therefore, no wonder that a lot of plastic ends up in the ocean. Uncontrolled population growth is one of the reasons that sustainable development is having difficulty getting off the ground.
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Precautionary Principle
What measures already exist to prevent ocean pollution, and how can they be reinforced?
Polluter Pays Principle
The polluter pays principle is that someone is financially responsible for the elimination of the pollution they cause.
Extended producer responsibility
The extended producer responsibility applies when it comes to plastic packaging and littering. However, little has been done so far.
