7th International Marine Debris Conference (IMDC)

Technical Session on Solutions to Stop Plastic Pollution

Track 4: Education, Awareness and Communication

Event Date: 22 September 2022, 9:45 – 10:45 AM (GMT+9)

Event Location: Hybrid

Event Overview: The United Nations Environment Programme’s SEA circular project is organising a technical session at the 7th International Marine Debris Conference under track 4 – Education, Awareness and Communication.

The 7IMDC is building on the momentum of past IMDCs by bringing together governments, industry, academia, civil society, and all relevant stakeholders, to discuss the latest science, strengthen collaborations, find solutions and catalyze action to address the urgent, global problem of marine litter and plastic pollution.

The 7IMDC is being organized by an Executive Committee comprised of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea (MOF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the organizational support of the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM), and the technical support of U.S. National. 

Almost 85% of total marine waste comes from plastics – this is due to rapid growth in plastic production and inadequate management of solid waste. It is estimated that just four Asian countries account for about half of this plastic waste.

There is widespread awareness of the situation and several mitigating actions – countries are now starting to implement regulations around EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), circularity, and science-based solutions; companies are acting on plastic footprint; standards bodies are coming up with guidelines on plastic credits; and civil society is encouraging community level change – however, there is disparity in understanding and actionable knowledge for stakeholders across the region. This requires a coherent approach to guide stakeholders through a structured yet flexible theory of change – to inform, inspire and act.

In this session, we intend to highlight a key awareness and knowledge management initiative of SEA circular leading to a plastic action toolkit that serves as a compendium of knowledge assets which in turn were produced after intensive research, benchmarking, stakeholder dialogues and consultations. The toolkit consolidates learnings of SEA circular’s partners from across sectors and includes country studies of plastic footprint; market-based solution showcases through regional good practice case studies and exchange events; campaign materials that created a social movement through new age digital marketing campaigns that touched millions of youths; learning materials and workshops to sensitize stakeholders on various aspects of the plastic value chain. It also captures 10 holistic ‘acceleration solutions’ to address plastic waste which was an outcome of SEA circular’s flagship event – SEA of Solutions 2021. We believe these actionable knowledge assets will help facilitate the circularity journey of practitioners in the plastic value chain. 

Objective:

• The session aims to share trends, learnings, benefits and the successes in addressing plastic pollution crisis through products of different initiatives within and outside of SEA circular project.
• Orient the audience on the importance and impact of coordinated communication around both problems and solutions in areas related to plastic pollution.

Expected Outcome:

• Participants take the learnings from the communication, knowledge sharing and research initiatives to develop meaningful interventions contributing to reduction in plastic pollution
• Gain insights on the multipronged nature of the plastic pollution challenge and therefore the need for multifaceted solutions with awareness and communication at the center of it