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| UN Clean Seas | |
|---|---|
| Name | UN Clean Seas |
| Launched | 2017 |
| Coordinator | United Nations Environment Programme |
| Focus | Marine litter, plastic pollution |
| Region | Global |
| Website | (official campaign) |
UN Clean Seas UN Clean Seas was a global campaign launched to combat marine plastic pollution through awareness, policy change, and stakeholder engagement. It mobilized member states, cities, corporations, non-governmental organizations, and scientific institutions to adopt measures reducing single-use plastics and improving waste management. The initiative aligned with multilateral processes addressing ocean governance, environmental law, and sustainable development goals.
The campaign originated under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme and responded to mounting scientific evidence from bodies like the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and panels behind the IPCC and IPBES on pollution impacts. Objectives included promoting national policy instruments such as bans, levies, and extended producer responsibility frameworks modeled after laws like the European Union Single-Use Plastics Directive and directives debated within the Basel Convention and London Convention. It sought to influence processes at the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Ocean Conference, and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, linking to targets in Sustainable Development Goal 14 and Sustainable Development Goal 12. The campaign emphasized evidence from research institutions such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
Activities included global advocacy, nation-level pledges, corporate partnerships, and science communication coordinated with organizations like World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace International, Ocean Conservancy, Blue Planet Society, and Plastic Pollution Coalition. Initiatives promoted alternatives championed by companies like IKEA and Unilever, and policy pilots in member states including France, Rwanda, Kenya, Chile, and Indonesia. The initiative organized public events, campaigns with media partners such as BBC Environment, National Geographic Society, and collaborations with cultural institutions like the Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, and film festivals including Cannes Film Festival and Venice Film Festival to raise awareness. It commissioned research with academic partners including University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Imperial College London, and University of Sydney on marine debris pathways, microplastic formation, and circular economy models advocated by think tanks like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Resources Institute.
The campaign worked with intergovernmental bodies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, UNIDO, UNDP, and World Health Organization, and with multilateral banks like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for financing waste infrastructure. It engaged private sector actors including Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Dow Chemical Company, and retailers like Walmart and Tesco. Civil society partners included Surfrider Foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, Friends of the Earth International, Conservation International, and The Nature Conservancy. Academic networks such as International Union for Conservation of Nature Marine Commission, Global Ocean Observing System, and FutureEarth contributed monitoring expertise. Subnational actors included city networks C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and regional organizations such as the European Commission and African Union.
The campaign catalyzed national policy changes including single-use plastic bans in countries cited above, uptake of plastic bag levies in jurisdictions like Ireland and South Africa, and strengthened waste-management investments supported by European Investment Bank and Inter-American Development Bank loans. Corporations announced packaging commitments and joined voluntary coalitions such as the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and industry platforms like Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Scientific outputs informed assessments by the Global Environment Facility and influenced proposals for a legally binding instrument on plastics discussed at UN Environment Assembly sessions and the United Nations General Assembly negotiations. Public awareness campaigns showed measurable shifts in consumer behavior in surveys conducted by Eurobarometer, Pew Research Center, and national statistical offices.
Critiques focused on reliance on voluntary corporate pledges criticized by advocacy groups such as Break Free From Plastic and Center for International Environmental Law for "greenwashing" and insufficiently ambitious targets. Policy analysts from Chatham House, World Resources Institute, and Stockholm Environment Institute highlighted implementation gaps in low-income countries due to limited funding from Global Environment Facility and structural barriers documented by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Scientific commentators in journals associated with Nature Publishing Group, Science (journal), and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences noted uncertainties in quantifying plastic fluxes and the need for standardized monitoring endorsed by networks like Global Ocean Observing System and Group on Earth Observations. Legal scholars debated the adequacy of regional instruments versus a global treaty, referencing precedents such as the Montreal Protocol and International Maritime Organization regulations.
Although the campaign officially concluded its active outreach phase, its legacy persists through contributions to the ongoing negotiation of a global plastics treaty at forums like the United Nations Environment Assembly and United Nations General Assembly. Policies, corporate commitments, and civil society coalitions spawned or strengthened by the campaign continue under programs run by United Nations Environment Programme, multilateral development banks, and networks including Ocean Conservancy and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Research collaborations continue among universities such as University of Cape Town, University of British Columbia, and National University of Singapore and monitoring initiatives by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The campaign influenced regional policy dialogues within the European Union, ASEAN, Pacific Islands Forum, and African Union toward integrated waste management and circular economy transitions.
Category:Environmental campaigns