The importance of society action: raising awareness

and involvement of stakeholders with co-responsibility

“International Conference on Prevention and Management

of Marine Litter in European Seas”

Berlin April 10-12, 2013

Joana Mira Veiga

Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC)

is the average amount of waste

a European citizen produces every year

25% is recycled (*)

15% is composted (*)

22% Incinerated (*)

38% landfilled (*)

(*) EU27, Eurostat, 2010

500 kg (*)

“EN-cycle”!

Marine Litter has the advantage of being

easy to grasp and engage people with

Easy to grasp, difficult to solve

Complex problem…

- rooted in our current paradigm of consumption/use of resources

- multitude of responsibilities – so many and interlinked that is almost a no-man’s land…

Easy to grasp, difficult to solve

We tend to blame someone else, rather than taking our share of responsibility and acting within our range of action

Easy to grasp, difficult to solve

- Cumulative effect of many people’s actions over time that becomes problematic, rather than the individual consumer’s actions per se

Individuals vs Society

- Impacts of our own behaviour and choices are not always immediate and visible

Jean Hill

Ban the sale of bottled water < 1L in Concord

(Massachusetts, USA)

“Ms Hill says she was inspired to begin her campaign by her

grandson, who told her about a vast floating island of

plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean.”

(BBC News – 3 January 2013)

Can ordinary people make a difference?...

Rebecca Hosking

All 43 shops in Modbury (UK) joined the town-wide

ban of single-use plastic bags

“The Modbury initiative was started after a local resident

saw the damage plastic can cause marine life.“

(BBC News – 29 October 2007)

Public participation e.g. Clean-up events within the “Oceans Initiative” (Surfrider Foundation)

2013 (until date) Nr events organised: 972

Nr of participants: 39.000

Waste collected: 490 m3

24th March 2013, The Hague

Freezing windy Sunday but…

80 adults & children

Committed people…

information/education/awareness, YES

The responsibility of consumers

but also

availability/accessibility of CHOICE in what we use, how we use it and how we dispose it

The responsibility of Society

Responsible behaviour when buying, using and disposing products and materials

Responsible design and innovative alternatives that satisfy and help shaping a more responsible demand

Appropriate systems to collect waste and channel them to recycling/recovery

Directing change through regulations and incentives, to encourage or discourage specific types of market and promote innovation

Society Business &

Industry

Governments

Waste management

Consumers

MARLISCO is a FP7 project funded by the European Commission. The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission

Diverse consortium: -Local & Regional authorities -Researchers -NGOs -Plastic Producers -Plastic Recyclers -Multimedia companies

Wide geographic coverage:

4 EU Regional Seas

15 coastal countries

• FP7-Science in Society

• €4.1 M

• 36 months, June 2012 – May 2015

• Led by the Province of Teramo (IT)

The goals - increase the AWARENESS of the consequences of societal behaviour in relation

to waste production and management

- promote CO-RESPONSIBILITY among the different actors

- define a more sustainable COLLECTIVE VISION

- facilitate dialogue for CONCERTED ACTIONS

HOW ?

Developing a series of mechanisms to engage, inform and empower society,

making use of innovative multimedia approaches,

to reach the widest possible audience, in the most effective manner.

Clear, sound, evidence-based message

- Current state of understanding - Setting a clear picture re marine litter in each of the regional seas (e.g. main types, sources, trends and distributions) to help identify key actors and priorities.

Educational activities and resources - National exhibitions - Workshops and other hands-on events - Pedagogical material - Online “serious game” - Web-documentary

Public awareness, informed decisions and responsible behaviour

Engaging youngsters

European VIDEO CONTEST launched in September 2013, encouraging them to get in touch with the issue and collecting their views on the problem Children as agents of change in society

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.”

Best practices Assessment of current practices and potential solutions that can be considered and exploited elsewhere

- Compilation of ML management practices (72)

- Promotion of innovative, effective and efficient ones

Enhance Co-responsibility It is possible to move towards better

practices Synergies between sectorial policies and key

actors

It’s all about perception…

Evaluation of perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders regarding the issue and how these

are impacted by MARLISCO’s activities

Survey on perceptions: type of litter found in the sea, sources, consequences and responsibilities What is the level of awareness and barriers in respect to understanding the issue and taking action How people’s attitudes on impacts and potential solutions vary between countries and stakeholder groups

National Marine Litter Forum: Developing solutions together

Development of a platform for structured dialogue among key stakeholders and society

Societal vision

Identify concerns, priorities and consensus

Resolve barriers

Explore concerted solutions and articulation between stakeholders

• Dialogue open to general pubic (webcasted events)

• Feed into the process of implementation of the MSFD (e.g. programme of measures)

Be part of this collective effort!

How to support and benefit from MARLISCO:

- Take part in the stakeholder survey and disseminate it among your colleagues and network: https://www.psy.plymouth.ac.uk/MARLISCO/

- Follow the national activities being carried in the 15 countries

- Get in touch with MARLISCO partner in your country to collaborate in the National Forum

- Bridge your own initiative with MARLISCO for synergies and maximum impact

- Join us on Facebook and LinkedIn Group

Thank you! j.veiga@eucc.net

www.marlisco.eu

Stoppons les Dechets Marins

Juntos por um Mar sem lixo

Çöpsüz Denizler İçin El Ele

Insieme per un Mare senza rifiuti

Μαζί Για Θάλασσες Χωρίς Σκουπίδια

Samen voor een zee zonder zwerfvuil

ÎMPREUNĂ PUNEM CAPĂT DEŞEURILOR MARINE

ДА СПРЕМ ЗАМЪРСЯВАНЕТО НА ЧЕРНО МОРЕ ЗАЕДНО