Publications : People’s Republic of China

 A new report from WWF, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Boston Consulting Group finds that a new international treaty on plastic pollution would benefit both the environment and businesses, and accelerate global efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

A new INTERPOL strategic report on global plastic waste management has found an alarming increase in illegal plastic pollution trade across the world since 2018.

The report, entitled INTERPOL’s strategical analysis on emerging criminal trends in the global plastic waste market since January 2018, indicates that there has been a considerable increase over the past two years in illegal waste shipments, primarily rerouted to South-East Asia via multiple transit countries to camouflage the origin of the waste shipment.

The study considers single-use plastic bottles and alternatives that could potentially replace them from a functional and transportation point of view.

Produced in line with the 76th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the theme study Changing Sails: Accelerating Regional Actions for Sustainable Oceans in Asia and the Pacific explores the key areas around which regional platforms can rally interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral solutions for the ocean. It highlights the lack of data and statistics on the ocean, the growing demand for moving towards inclusive and green maritime shipping, deteriorating fish stocks and gaps in fisheries management and the mounting pressure of marine plastic pollution.

In the past year, concerted efforts to scale up the implementation of the 2018-2022 Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA) meant PEMSEA and its partner countries surpassed its integrated coastal management (ICM) targets ahead of schedule. Targeting to achieve at least 25% coverage of the region’s coastline by 2021, ICM coverage of the region’s coastline is now estimated at 37.9% as of December 2019.

This SEA circular country profile for China covers the socio-economic profile of China, and the coastal and marine ecosystem and economy. It details the plastics and packaging production and usage status and covers aspects of solid waste management - and the impact of both of these factors on marine litter status. Actions taken on marine plastics are detailed, covering government actions and the private sector. Global, regional and national policy frameworks related to China are detailed.

The Ocean Finance Handbook takes stock of the current ocean-scape of finance and provides an introduction to those seeking to increase their understanding of finance and investment in the sustainable blue economy. The Ocean Finance Handbook provides a concise summary of the various means by which finance flows to the ocean can be enhanced, to support the development of the sustainable blue economy.

This publication from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation (SCE), Ocean and Fisheries Working Group (OFWG) proposes national waste governance plans to address marine debris “hot spots”, provide technical litter traps on rivers to improve marine debris prevention and remediation, and promote private sector and public involvement in models that extend both producer and consumer responsibility. The report has four case studies of best practice and ends by making recommendations for moving forward, illustrating preventative marine debris measures that may benefit marginalized groups in the APEC region.

SEA of Solutions 2019 was the first annual partnership week convened by the SEA circular initiative. SEA of Solutions 2019 brought together governments, business leaders, scientists, UN agencies and community groups, to dialogue on solutions for marine plastic pollution.
Over 500 registered participants from more than 40 countries, 115 speakers in 20 sessions and 25 exhibition booths, all highlighted solutions to prevent marine plastic pollution. The first annual SEA of Solutions event was successful in generating dialogue and promoting opportunities for future collaboration and partnerships. More than 300 organizations, including well over 100 companies, NGOs, governmental bodies, academic, and youth groups sent representatives from across the region to this event, fostering partnerships in the region to combat the transboundary problem of plastic pollution – under the uniting mantra of ‘Together, less plastic wasted’.