Info Story 4 – Bapsi: Blue Academy for Professional of Seafood Industry

Plastics = polymers which are a chain of molecules derived from small molecules of monomers that are extracted from oil or gas that may be shaped when soft and then hardened to retain the given shape.

Plastics are used to make bicycle helmets, child safety seats and airbags in automobiles. They are in the cell phones, televisions, computers and other electronic equipment, roofs, walls, flooring, insulation materials, and in food packaging.

People often do not know that plastics are also in many other things such as paints, protective coatings and linings, adhesives and glues, and sealants and insulation. Some plastics have additives to make them bacteria or fire-resistant, give them a rainbow of colors, or make them flexible, etc. There are tens of thousands, or more, of different kinds of plastics and formulations (Source: Chemical Safety Fact)

Plastic waste is a threat to oceans at global level

(Source: One Ocean one World)

Most plastics are not biodegradable and may remain in the marine environment for hundreds of years.

Macro-plastics are large (>20 mm) plastic debris such as plastic bottles

Macro-plastics are large (>20 mm) plastic debris such as plastic bottles

Europe is the second largest plastics producer in the world, after China, dumping 150,000-500,000 tons of macro-plastics and 70,000-130,000 tons of microplastics in the sea every year. The majority of these plastics enter the Mediterranean Sea, posing a major threat to marine life. Plastic represents 95% of the waste floating in the Mediterranean and lying on its beaches.

Most of this plastic is released into the sea from Turkey and Spain, followed by Italy, Egypt and France, with tourists visiting the region increasing marine litter by 40% each summer (Source: WWF, 2018).

The platform Open SC , launched in 2019 by WWF Switzerland and BCG Digital Ventures, allows tracking products from the catch to the shelf by applying a digital tag (RFID). Sensor devices on ships, ports and processing plants will allow uploading data about each single catch to a blockchain. Once the specimen is processed, the RFID tag is replaced by a unique QR tag applied to the package connected to the blockchain. Through their smartphones, consumers can scan the QR tag and find out the entire journey of each specimen.

as well as people health

Microplastics are thought to act as vectors for microorganisms and toxic chemicals. Research has shown the potentiality for metabolic disturbance, neurotoxicity as well as carcinogenic effects (Source: News Medical Net, 2019)

In January 2018, the EU Strategy for Plastics in the Circular Economy was launched with the aim to innovate the way in which plastic products are designed, produced, used and recycled.

The Single-Use Plastics Directive is a crucial step forward in this direction by tackling the 10 most common single-use plastic items for which more sustainable alternatives are available and affordable.

The European Commission stresses the need for higher recycling rates in its newly adopted Circular Economy Action Plan as part of the European Green Deal

The Member States must meet the following targets:
- 55% recycling of plastic packaging waste by 2030;
- reducing consumption to 40 bags per person by 2026;
- improving product design to address durability, reparability and recyclability;
- monitoring and reducing marine litter.

Most plastics are made from fossil fuels, which contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. Alternative plastics, such as bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics may be a more sustainable alternative to fossil-based, non-biodegradable plastics. However, they present both new opportunities and risks that must be carefully assessed.

Project: Bio Plastics Europe

BIO-PLASTICS EUROPE delivers sustainable strategies and solutions for bio-based plastics to support the EU-Plastic Strategy and promote circularity in the economy

(Source: European Bioplastics)