Latest news with #PacificRegionalEnvironmentProgramme
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Saipan Environment Forum Hears Caution On Pacific Garbage Patch Cleanup
An expert says there is pushback from environmental groups when it comes to cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Mark Rabago, RNZ Pacific Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas correspondent An expert says there is pushback from environmental groups when it comes to cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Bradley Nolan, waste management adviser at the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), spoke at the 32nd Pacific Islands Environmental Training Symposium at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan. He was asked from the floor about efforts to address the massive plastic accumulation zone in the North Pacific – a swirling gyre of marine debris between California and Hawai'i, commonly known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Nolan, who presented on regional waste management resources, acknowledged the urgency and complexity of the issue, tying it to global negotiations under way for a plastics treaty. 'Article nine of the plastics treaty currently under negotiation talks about legacy plastics and cleaning up the marine environment,' he said. 'There are a number of technologies trying to scrape up and clean the patch, and it makes sense to do that – but now we're seeing pushback from some environmental groups.' According to Nolan, a growing number of scientists and green groups have raised concerns that clean-up efforts could destroy an unintended but now-established ocean ecosystem. 'Because that garbage patch has existed so long, it's created a new marine habitat – a floating ecosystem that didn't exist before,' Nolan said. 'Efforts to clean it up could cause massive bycatch and harm species that have come to depend on it.' While the 'patch' isn't a solid island of trash, it is a dense concentration of microplastics and floating debris, which accumulate due to oceanic gyres. Roughly 80 per cent of that material comes from land-based sources, not ships, he said. Calling the garbage patch 'a significant problem with no simple solution', Nolan said the issue touches on marine biodiversity, waste transboundary movement, and the production of harmful micro- and nano-plastics. 'This is a complex issue – and complex issues rarely come with easy fixes,' he said. In 2023, the Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit environmental engineering organization, removed about 25,000 pounds of trash from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch remains a symbol of the global plastics crisis. While innovation in clean-up continues, experts like Nolan stress that prevention – especially at the land-source level – must be prioritised across the Pacific. The four-day symposium features workshops on hazardous waste, climate adaptation, and the PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) contamination crisis facing islands such as Saipan and Guam. It concludes on Friday.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New report reveals major global shift in shopping habits: 'Robust growth'
A new report reveals the paper bag market is on the upswing, with increased consumer awareness about the troublesome effects of plastic waste among the factors. Future Market Insights estimates that the paper bag market will have a value of $10.3 billion by 2035 with a compound annual growth rate of 4.4% over the next decade. It identified five key trends driving this demand: retail expansion, brand customization, government regulations banning single-use plastics, food safety, and sustainability. While shopping with reusable bags and bringing your own silicone takeout containers to restaurants are perhaps some of the most impactful ways to reduce waste, the burgeoning paper bag market is nonetheless a step in the right direction for businesses. Paper bags are generally recyclable and biodegradable. On the other hand, plastic bags are derived from polluting dirty fuels, and their manufacturing process involves toxic chemicals, as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme explains. They take up to 1,000 years to break down, contributing to the untimely deaths of hundreds of thousands of marine creatures that mistake them for food each year. According to FMI, the food and beverage sector leads paper bag growth, with a news release revealing the industry accounts for 46% of the market share. Brown kraft paper is the most popular material in the paper bag market, as it is more cost-effective than white kraft paper and requires fewer chemical treatments. Perhaps surprisingly, FMI didn't cite food safety as the primary factor accelerating the food and beverage industry's adoption of paper bags, even though microplastic pollution is linked to health complications, including cancer, dementia, and reproductive difficulties. In the release, it highlighted policies outlawing single-use plastic bags and businesses' desire to advertise their sustainability commitments as key drivers of the growth. It also listed "high demand for greaseproof and food-grade paper bags" as a factor, underscoring how public health can benefit from eco-friendly policymaking as businesses pivot to meet consumer demand for sustainability. When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks The information it provides The waste it produces I don't think about packaging at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Regardless of which factor weighs more in the accelerated push, transitioning away from plastics is still a win on multiple levels. Ismail Sutaria, lead consultant in packaging at FMI, suggested that the paper bag market's "robust growth" could change the packaging game. "To ensure long-term success, manufacturers need to focus on improving the durability and water resistance of paper bags while addressing cost concerns through sustainable production innovations," Sutaria said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
