Pollutant-free environment Funding programme to tackle marine litter: the Marine Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe

Plastic waste reduces the CO₂ storage functions of the oceans. Moreover, key raw materials used in plastic production are of fossil origin and account for a large share of their overall consumption, thus contributing substantially to the climate crisis. However, marine debris not only worsens the climate crisis, but also threatens marine biodiversity: marine animals mistake plastic waste for food or become entangled in it and die. Furthermore, plastic waste consumed by animals can enter the human food chain. The simultaneous impacts of plastic pollution and the climate crisis are putting marine ecosystems under pressure – with major consequences for the entire planetary balance.

The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) is supplementing the German Government's commitment to protecting marine ecosystems with its funding programme “Marine Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe” (Marine:DeFRAG). The primary goal here is to avoid plastic waste from the start so that it does not enter the oceans in the first place. This requires actions that establish and develop functioning waste management systems and circular economies in the short, medium and long term, strengthen institutional capacities and initiate social transformation.