Take the Pledge to #UnplasticthePlanet

There are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic already in the ocean, with 300 million tons of new plastic used worldwide every year; very little of which gets recycled or reused and often ends up back in the ocean. There are now more microplastics in the ocean than there are stars in the Milky Way — and, tragically, if we continue on our current trajectory, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050.

It’s time to #UnplasticthePlanet. The vision for the #UnplasticthePlanet campaign is to divert and remove 8 million tons of plastic waste from entering the world’s oceans by 2020. 8 million tons is equivalent to the amount of plastic waste entering the ocean in a single year. That’s like to dumping one New York City garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute of every day for an entire year.

Oceans are primary sources of food, jobs, and economic development. In addition to dangers to humans, microplastics are a threat for fish and birds that mistake them as food and starve to death.  With an estimated 9.7 billion people to be fed by 2050, fish stocks contaminated with microplastics and their associated toxins are a growing problem.

As a Global Citizen, you know that your actions and your choices have an incredible impact on the world. That’s why we’re asking you to take practical steps to ensure plastic waste does not end up in the ocean, by reusing, recycling, and reducing your plastic consumption and waste.

We’re campaigning for a world without plastic consumer waste. That world can only be realized if each of us pledges to change our individual behavior and attitude on plastic.

Take the pledge. Reduce your plastic waste and #UnplasticthePlanet.