Today the issue of ocean plastic pollution is well known. For environmentalists and greenwashers alike, the cleaning of the oceans has become fashionable and esteemed endeavour. As such, most large brands have committed themselves to recycling these plastic materials in their products
Today the issue of ocean plastic pollution is well known. For environmentalists and greenwashers alike, the cleaning of the oceans has become fashionable and esteemed endeavour. As such, most large brands have committed themselves to recycling these plastic materials in their products. These projects however tend to focus on the symptoms of this environmental scourge and fail to address the root causes of the problem. What we should really be asking ourselves is “how can we prevent this problem from happening in the first place?” and “how can this environmental externality create socio-economic opportunities?” There is no evidently simple solution to one of the world’s most complex environmental issues. Nevertheless, we should begin to envisage several long term sustainable solutions involving the use of bio or water soluble plastics.
Although the use of carbon-based plastics will not cease overnight, it is possible to limit their use in various key industrial sectors. Efforts must concentrate on promoting new technologies which will make plastics biodegradable.
Picking up plastics from the ocean may not be the most efficient solution at hand (many micro-plastics will remain in the ocean and will infest the food chain). The Banyuls Oceanographic Station has developed a special strain of bacteria capable directly of degrading carbon plastics and producing byproducts which can be recycled by various industries.
The land bio-based industry is equally committed to producing more bioplastics to help encourage the transition away from carbon plastics. Much like with biofuels however, land bioplastics consume scarce fresh water resources and weaken food production. Despite not being an ideal and sustainable long term strategy for bioplastics, the byproducts of non-food crops and forests could help accelerate the bioplastic value chain.
The oceans should be seen as an enormous biomass reservoir for blue bioplastics, and seaweed-based bioplastics can serve as an innovative and sustainable alternative to carbon-plastics. Furthermore, seaweed helps to absorb carbon and protect the coastline. It has been proven that seaweed dramatically reduces the kinetic effect of waves and currents. Massive reforestation projects therefore need to be organized along Europe’s coastlines. Seaweed is a true gold mine that could support an entire new blue value chain from feed, food, cosmetic, biomaterials and pharmaceuticals. We must be careful in order not to repeat the mistake of the past and develop massive aquaculture in order to prevent the depletion of wild seaweed stocks. Even if seaweed is a true natural beauty, it could sometimes become a plague for tourism. Saragassum is a perfect example. The proliferation of sargassum