If no action is taken to break current trends, oceans will have more plastic than fish by 2050. Marine plastic pollution is therefore a serious threat to ocean health and public health worldwide.

We cannot tackle this challenge by scooping all plastic out of the oceans. We need new ways to detect, monitor and collect marine plastics. Above all, we have to work out viable solutions to stop marine plastic pollution and bring the disposal of new plastic debris to an end. Quite rightly, the European Commission’s recently announced Circular Economy Action Plan defines plastics as a focus sector where the potential for circularity is high.