To make a positive impact beyond the beauty industry, we have forged a partnership with Ocean Conservancy, an NGO working to turn the tide on ocean plastic for more than 30 years. Together, we will raise awareness of the importance of cleaning oceans and beaches, and encourage our employees and consumers to participate in the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest single day volunteer effort to fight ocean plastic.
We are also partnering with the NGO Plastics for Change to help provide a community of waste pickers in India with a fair rate for discarded plastic, improve working conditions and promote recycling.
What is plastic pollution?
Plastic pollution has become a pressing challenge in the past few decades. Today more than 350 million tons of all plastic produced annually, and only 20% of plastic waste is recycled worldwide. The rest becomes waste, polluting our environment. Today, over 75% of all plastic produced in the world has become waste. Plastic pollution harms wildlife and natural ecosystems and contributes to climate change
How much plastic is in the ocean?
Up to 12.7 million tons of plastic leak into the ocean each year. By 2050, scientists predict that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean. The world is discarding the equivalent of 1 garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute. (Source : UN Environment Programme https://environmentlive.unep.org/marinepollution).
How does plastic get into the ocean?
Plastic pollution in our oceans is largely caused when people don’t have the opportunity to dispose of their waste responsibly. Instead, their plastic waste often enters local rivers, eventually flowing into the ocean. At the heart of the problem, the majority of plastic pollution is currently due to business models supporting single-use packaging; waste mismanagement leaking plastic into the environment; and a supply chain currently producing five times more virgin plastic than recycled plastic.
What are the effects of plastic in the ocean?
More than 800 species of marine animals are affected by plastic pollution, either through ingestion, entanglement or chemical contamination. It is the cause of death of millions of seabirds and marine mammals, some marine species being on the verge of extinction because of plastic ocean pollution. Consumption of plastic by marine creatures causes health issues that spread up the food chain to larger marine animals and finally to the humans who eat them. Plastic in the seas also pollutes the oceanic waters, lowering the oxygen levels and affecting the survival of marine animals including whales, dolphins and penguins. Birds and land animals get caught in the choke-hold of plastic on beaches. It poses a threat to the functioning of marine ecosystems, and micro-plastic particles floating in the ocean are toxic for all living beings.