Plastic pollution is widespread around the globe, impacting animals, the environment, and human health. However, some places are bearing the brunt of plastic pollution more than others.
How much plastic pollution is in the ocean?
Our oceans are choking on plastic. An estimated 33 billion pounds (15 million tons) of plastic end up in the ocean every year. The results are devastating, especially for marine ecosystems and animals, like sea birds and turtles, which often mistake plastic for food.
Single-use plastic packaging for food and beverages, like plastic bottles, dominates global plastic pollution found in aquatic environments. Plastics break down into small particles called microplastics, which are often consumed by ocean animals and can move up the food web to humans. This poses a threat to animal and human health as chemicals used in plastic production are known to cause cancer and a variety of disorders in both humans and wildlife.
Plastic pollution is not equal everywhere
Some places in the world are more impacted by plastic pollution than others. An example of this is Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), a classification used by the United Nations to describe 39 island states facing unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities. These places contribute little to global plastic production and pollution, but they are disproportionately impacted by it because of their remote locations near the intersections of many large ocean currents, small economies, and lack of access to sufficient waste and recycling facilities. Because of their geographies, the majority of resources SIDS have access to come from the ocean. Communities here rely on fishing and tourism sectors for livelihoods, and seafood for nutrition — all of which are threatened by plastic pollution.
The plastic crisis in Samoa
In Samoa, a Pacific region SIDS, large corporations like The Coca-Cola Company and its bottler have exacerbated the plastic pollution crisis. In 2021, Coca-Cola switched its Samoan bottling operations from locally bottled reusable glass containers to single-use PET plastic bottles imported from other countries.
Reportedly, only a few months after the decision, Coca-Cola contributed to one third of the plastic bottle waste in Samoa.
Coca-Cola often points to the recyclability of PET bottles as a path to reduced plastic pollution. However, Samoa and many other SIDS lack the infrastructure and resources to support recycling. As a result, most plastic bottles are either littered, dumped illegally, incinerated, or end up in the landfill.
Solutions to address the plastic pollution crisis
Many SIDS have implemented policies to reduce locally produced plastic pollution including bans on single-use plastic items and initiatives to remove plastic debris from the marine environment. However, a legally binding Global Plastics Treaty is needed to truly stop the flow of plastics from large countries and corporations to SIDS. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Coca-Cola’s bottler in Samoa) can take action now by reinstating reuseable glass bottles.
How can we stop plastic pollution in the ocean?
We all have a role to play in reducing the amount of plastic pollution that enters our oceans. Whether it is cutting down on our own plastic use, or advocating for smarter policies at the local, state, and national levels, every little bit helps. But major plastic polluters must take responsibility for the waste they create. Oceana is calling on global beverage companies like Coca-Cola, the number one source of branded plastic found in the environment, to commit to substantially reducing plastic production and increasing the use of refillable bottles.
You can take action today through Oceana’s campaign demanding Coca-Cola to recommit to a world without waste and increase reusable packaging today.
