Our oceans, our future

In case you didn't know, June 8 is World Oceans Day – and the main focus in 2017 is on plastic pollution prevention, and the cleaning of ocean litter. 

Ahead of 2017-18, the Volvo Ocean Race has reaffirmed its sustainability commitment by launching a strategy to help tackle the problem of plastic pollution and marine debris.

We’re working in partnership with 11th Hour Racing, United Nations Environment and AkzoNobel to minimise the race’s footprint, maximise its impact and to leave a positive legacy wherever we go.

The next edition, starting in October 2017, will see Ocean Summits in Host Cities around the planet, an educational programme on six continents, a clear focus on reducing single-use plastic consumption, and amplification of United Nations’ #CleanSeas campaign, to turn the tide on plastic pollution.

In the meantime, here are seven numbers you need to know this World Ocean’s Day…

8 million – the number of tonnes of plastic leaking into the ocean every year

Yes, you read that right. Scientists have warned that, unless we take action now, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. A whopping eight million tonnes of plastic finds its way into the ocean every year – and that’s the same as five plastic bags per every foot of coastline around the planet. And the bad news is that it’s on target to increase tenfold over the next decade unless we reduce plastic consumption, or at least find a better way of collecting and managing trash.

322 million – that’s how many tonnes of plastic we produced in 2015

That’s the equivalent to 900 Empire State Buildings.

99% – scientists estimate that by 2050, 99% of seabirds will have ingested plastic

In 1960, only 5% of seabirds had plastic in their guts, and by 2010, that number had risen to 80%. Unfortunately, it’s only set to grow further, unless we take action. Birds often mistake brightly coloured plastic items such as bags, bottle caps and plastic fibres from synthetic clothes for food, or swallow them by accident, and this can cause severe harm to the animals.

600 – marine litter harms over 600 marine species

But it’s not just seabirds who are being directly harmed by our plastic addiction. Experts suggest that over 600 species are affected by the issue, and 15% of those are endangered. Don’t forget – if a fish digests plastic, and you eat the fish, you’re affected too. 

2020 – France will ban single-use plastic cups, plates and cutlery

Finally, some good news. In 2016, France announced that it would become the first nation in the world to ban disposable plates and cups – with a new law requiring all disposable tableware to be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials that can be composted at home by 2020, rising to 60% by 2025. And they're not the only nation to be making a tangible impact – Rwanda and Bangladesh have banned all plastic bags, Canada has added microbeads to its list of toxic substances, and the USA and UK will ban microbeads in cosmetics from the end of this year.

51 trillion – the amount of microplastic particles in our oceans

That mind-blowing number is 500 times as many stars as estimated to be in our galaxy. Microplastics range in size from being invisible to the naked eye to just a few millimetres in diameter, and they’re turning up in all the world’s major oceans.

1,900 – the amount of microplastic fibres released by machine-washing a single synthetic garment

After studying microplastics from shorelines at 18 sites across the globe, ecologist Mark Browne found that 85% of the synthetic materials accumulating there were microfibers that matched the kinds of materials found in synthetic clothing, which might mean that our wardrobes and washing machines are two of the biggest culprits in ocean pollution. So what’s the solution? Well, it’s not to stop washing (for your friends and family’s sake) – but you can make positive steps by seeking out clothing made from natural fibres, doing fuller loads of washing (this results in fewer fibres released) and using a colder wash setting.