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Stichting The Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Cleanup

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic.

Lobbying Activity

Response to The European Oceans Pact

14 Feb 2025

The Ocean Cleanup welcomes the Commission's initiative to integrate Ocean governance across all sectors and commends the efforts that are being made in the run-up to the Third UN Ocean Conference through the EU Ocean Pact. The Ocean Cleanups mission is to rid the worlds oceans of plastic by developing and scaling technologies to cleanup plastics in rivers and oceans. Based on 12 years of experience, including cleanup activities in the north Pacific Ocean and 8 countries around the globe, we urge policy makers to recognize the Ocean Pact as an opportunity for the Commission to lead international ocean governance by addressing legacy plastic pollution. The Ocean Cleanup would like to suggest the following additional considerations. 1. Legacy plastics to be included in the Pact. The Ocean Pact should recognize not only the harm caused by plastics, but also policies and solutions on how to address this problem. Macroplastic pollution has negative impacts and costs to ship navigation, biodiversity (through ghost fishing) and fragmentation into microplastics. For mitigation, a dual approach of upstream (prevention, reduction at the source) policies are required, alongside downstream remediation approaches. It is critical to address the existing pollution to prevent further harm and to ensure we have clean healthy oceans. In order to address plastic pollution and its far-reaching consequences on our Ocean, marine life, climate, economies and health, the scope of the Ocean Pact should legacy plastic pollution in the marine environment. To achieve this, the Pact must encompass the reduction, mitigation and remediation of legacy oceanic plastic pollution, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction. We cannot ignore the legacy plastic in the ocean, that is already there. Nothing we can do on land will have any impact on the amount of plastic which has already accumulated in the ocean, and for which any preventative action comes too late. 2. The problem of plastic pollution doesnt stop at EUs border: recognize transboundary nature of problem of plastic pollution in the Pact, and the need for global collaboration. As such, we call on the Commission to support an ambitious Internationally Legally Binding Instrument on Plastic Pollution, including in the marine environment and recognize the transboundary nature of ocean plastic pollution. In particular, by including the remediation of legacy plastics, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction and through global cooperation with relevant stakeholders. 3. Finally, the Pact should recognize the essential role of innovation to meet ambitions for a healthy ocean. Innovation is essential to meet our ambitions for clean, healthy oceans. We encourage the Pact to support innovation and investment both within and beyond EU borders. To this end, the Pact could allocate a limited budget to fund European organizations engaged in areas of international ocean governance.
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of First Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

18 Jul 2018 · discussion on ''the OCEAN Cleanup'' project and Commission's initiatives on plastics

Meeting with Grzegorz Radziejewski (Cabinet of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen)

18 Jul 2018 · Presentation of technologies tackling plastic waste

Meeting with Frans Timmermans (First Vice-President)

18 Jul 2018 · discussion on ''the OCEAN Cleanup'' project and Commission's initiatives on plastics