Plastic waste in the sea: new technology available

The UN negotiating committee meets this week for a fourth session to establish binding rules to prevent plastic pollution. “The situation is worrying, but at the same time the solutions are known and available,” says Nanda Bergsten, managing director of Camm Solutions. “Our technology shows that environmentally harmful plastics can be replaced – sustainably, scalably and on an industrial scale.”

Plastic has many advantages: it can be shaped into any shape, it is stable and durable – and that is exactly the problem. Because once they are in the world, they stay there forever, polluting entire areas of Earth or ending up in the sea. There it floats or sinks. There are now between three and eleven million tons of plastic waste on the ocean floor, a new study by Australian science agency Csiro and Canada's University of Toronto estimates.

According to the study, plastic pollution on the seabed could be up to 100 times greater than the amount of plastic on the sea surface. According to scientists, 46% of plastic materials float above the surface of the water at a depth of 200 meters, and the rest is located at a depth of 11,000 meters below sea level.

According to the researchers, plastic consumption is expected to double by 2040. “So there is no way to promote alternatives to plastic,” says Bergstein. One such alternative that has already passed the environmental and economic practical test is CAMM. The material can be made from renewable materials such as organic waste, is water-soluble, biodegradable and compostable, and allows for environmentally friendly recycling without leaving behind harmful residues such as microplastics, toxins or durable chemicals. “If CAMM enters the environment due to a disturbed cycle, it biodegrades quickly, even in marine environments. There is no residue left behind,” Bergstein says.

Meanwhile, CAMM is durable and strong, and, like plastic, can be used in packaging of food and non-food goods. Due to its diverse properties and different end-of-life scenarios, CAMM can widely replace traditional plastics and composites across a wide range of industries and applications. “When it comes to protecting the environment and avoiding plastic, new technologies are available,” Bergstein explains ahead of the fourth session of the UN negotiating committee to establish a legally binding international instrument to combat plastic pollution. The negotiations will take place from April 23 to 29 in Ottawa.