Where does marine litter come from?

The problem: The majority of marine litter - approximately 85% - is plastic waste. Between 2011 en 2020, the total plastic waste generated in the 27 EU Member States per person increased by 22%.

The drivers: The causes of mismanaged waste are human needs, which increase consumer and certain economic sector demand for plastics. in 2021, demand for virgin plastic by the packaging sector reached 39.1% of total plastic demand, while the demand from the building industry and the automotive industry w…

The problem: The majority of marine litter - approximately 85% - is plastic waste. Between 2011 en 2020, the total plastic waste generated in the 27 EU Member States per person increased by 22%.

The drivers: The causes of mismanaged waste are human needs, which increase consumer and certain economic sector demand for plastics. in 2021, demand for virgin plastic by the packaging sector reached 39.1% of total plastic demand, while the demand from the building industry and the automotive industry was 21.3% and 8.6% of the total, respectively.