TY - JOUR
T1 - Big brands impact small islands
T2 - Sources of plastic pollution in a remote and protected archipelago
AU - Savage, Jessica
AU - Chamberlain, Alice
AU - Fellowes, Millie
AU - Jones, Rebecca
AU - Letessier, Tom
AU - Llewellyn, Fiona
AU - Morritt, David
AU - Rowclife, Marcus
AU - Koldewey, Heather
PY - 2024/6
Y1 - 2024/6
N2 - Remote islands are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution, often originating from elsewhere, so it is important to understand its origins, to stop debris entering the ocean at their source. We investigated the origins of beached plastic drink bottles in the Chagos Archipelago, a large remote Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean. We recorded the brands, countries of manufacture, types of drink, and ages of plastic bottles and their lids. The prevalent type of drink was water, with items mostly manufactured in Indonesia, China, and the Maldives. The main brands were Danone and the Coca-Cola Company. We deduced that 10 % of the items originated from ships passing the archipelago, including all the items manufactured in China. The identification of the brands creating plastic pollution in remote MPAs with high biodiversity supports extended producer responsibility, one of the proposed policy development areas of the Global Plastics Treaty.
AB - Remote islands are disproportionately affected by plastic pollution, often originating from elsewhere, so it is important to understand its origins, to stop debris entering the ocean at their source. We investigated the origins of beached plastic drink bottles in the Chagos Archipelago, a large remote Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean. We recorded the brands, countries of manufacture, types of drink, and ages of plastic bottles and their lids. The prevalent type of drink was water, with items mostly manufactured in Indonesia, China, and the Maldives. The main brands were Danone and the Coca-Cola Company. We deduced that 10 % of the items originated from ships passing the archipelago, including all the items manufactured in China. The identification of the brands creating plastic pollution in remote MPAs with high biodiversity supports extended producer responsibility, one of the proposed policy development areas of the Global Plastics Treaty.
U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116476
DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116476
M3 - Article
SN - 0025-326X
VL - 203
JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin
JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin
M1 - 116476
ER -