Page - 244 - in Freshwater Microplastics - Emerging Environmental Contaminants?

where it is stated that they“supportdevelopmentandimplementationofnationalor regional action plans to reduce waste entering inland and coastal waters and ultimately becomingmarine litter, aswell as to remove existingwaste” [11, p. 9]. The G7 action plan lists the following priority actions to address land-based sources: • Improving countries’ systems for wastemanagement, reducingwaste generation, and encouraging reuse and recycling; • Incorporating waste management activities into international development assistance and investmentsandsupporting the implementationofpilotprojectswhereappropriate; • Investigatingsustainableandcost-effective solutions to reduceandprevent sewageand stormwater relatedwaste, includingmicroplastics entering themarine environment; • Promoting relevant instruments and incentives to reduce the use of disposable single- use andother items,which impact themarine environment; • Encouraging industry to develop sustainable packaging and remove ingredients from products to gain environmental benefits, such as by a voluntary phase-out of microbeads; • Promotingbestpractices along thewholeplasticsmanufacturing, andvaluechain from production to transport, e. g. aiming for zeropellet loss. [11, p. 10] TheG7 points out that existing platforms and tools for cooperation should be used like the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA). The GPA “is the only global intergovernmentalmechanismdirectly addressing theconnectivitybetween terres- trial, freshwater, coastal andmarine ecosystems. It aims to be a source of concep- tualandpracticalguidance tobedrawnuponbynationaland/or regionalauthorities for devising and implementing sustained action to prevent, reduce, control and/or eliminate marine degradation from land-based activities” (retrieved 10.11.2016 fromhttp://www.unep.org/gpa/). The commonunderstandingof the topic “marine litter” and themost important areasofactionandapproachesbytheG7canindeedbeunderstoodasastep toward an intergovernmental effort against marine litter, but considering that there is a huge potential for reduction regarding litter reaching the sea mainly from land- based sources, litter in freshwater systems should also be in the focus and require concretemeasures. WorldEconomicForum(WEF) In January2016, theWorldEconomicForum(WEF)publishedan industryagenda entitled “TheNew Plastic Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics.” It states that despite many benefits, the current plastic economy has economic as well as environmental detriments that arebecomingmoreapparent bynow:“After a short first-use cycle, 95%of plastic packagingmaterial value, or $80–120 billion annu- ally, is lost to the economy. A staggering 32% of plastic packaging escapes collection systems, generating significant economic costs by reducing the produc- tivityofvital natural systems suchas theoceanandcloggingurban infrastructure” [12, p. 6].Theagendaassesses theup- anddownsidesof today’splastic packaging emphasizing the need to rethink the current plastic economy.Anewand systemic approachandactionplan toachieveabetter economicandenvironmentaloutcome 244 N.Brennholt et al.