SPI Joins Global Plastics Industry in Launching Action Plan for Solutions on Marine Litter

Printer-friendly versionPDF version

November 18, 2011

Contact:

Barry Eisenberg
202-974-5210

beisenberg@plasticsindustry.org

Plastics Associations Hold Global Meeting in Dubai

On November 16 and 17, plastics industry representatives from across the world met in Dubai to create a global action plan for solutions on marine litter. This action plan describes actions to be taken and progress to be reported by signatories in 2012. Today approximately 99 projects have been identified, which will be carried out in 32 countries, in addition to the global activities supported by all signatories.

Recognizing that solutions to marine litter will require global cooperation, the plastics industry is inviting other interested stakeholders to join in these actions and others to prevent marine litter. William R. Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, said the meeting was “an excellent move toward meaningful progress by plastics industry representatives from around the world who are committed to the global action plan for solutions on marine litter.”  SPI Vice President, Science, Technology and Regulatory Affairs Melissa Hockstad, who attended the Dubai meeting, added that “Since creating the Operation Clean Sweep (http://www.opcleansweep.org/)program in 1992 to help plastic resin handling operations implement good housekeeping and achieve zero pellet loss, SPI has worked diligently toward marine debris and litter solutions. We are pleased to be part of this global plastics industry initiative to build partnerships that will bring further solutions.”

The “Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter” has been adopted by 54 plastics industry organisations so far. It outlines a six-point strategy for industry action, and advocates close cooperation with a broad range of stakeholders to shape solutions for the marine environment. By way of example, initiatives where our industries already have been involved include:  Vacances Propres in France, Keep America Beautiful in the US, Cool Seas in the UK, and the International Coastal Cleanup in South Africa.  They will serve as a catalyser for further action in other regions.

The activities undertaken by the global plastics industry will be publicly available at:www.marinelittersolutions.org. The website has been launched in English, and will over time display the content in different languages.

 Amongst the activities that the industry is implementing within the joint declaration is a partnership with The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP).  GESAMP is an advisory body to the United Nations (UN) system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. The plastics industry has committed to support GESAMP’s effort to evaluate the sources, fate and effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment. SPI’s Carteaux commented that, “We are proud to join the GESAMP initiative as one part of our industry’s effort to better understand and prevent marine litter.”

For more information, seewww.marinelittersolutions.org

The NPE2009 international plastics exposition will take place June 22-26, 2009 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The event is produced by the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI). Co-located with NPE2009 will be the Society of Plastics Engineers' ANTEC^TM2009, the world's largest plastics technical conference, and Gardner Publications' MoldMaking Expo^TM2009 show and conference. Visitwww.npe.org.

Founded in 1937, SPI is the plastics industry trade association representing the third largest manufacturing industry in the United States. SPI's member companies represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.1 million workers and provides nearly $379 billion in annual shipments.

News Source : SPI Joins Global Plastics Industry in Launching Action Plan for Solutions on Marine Litter