The century has brought not only an increase in plastic production and usage but also the growth of plastic pollution organizations. In this article, we take a look at the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally.
Plastic pollution has risen to the top of the environmental priority list adversely affecting both man, plants and animals since its inception in 1907 and the expansion during world war II where it increase by 300% in the United States. Plastics have been one of the major factors in the development of the world in general.
But, Plastics’ immaculate confidence didn’t last long. Plastics were no longer perceived as indisputably positive in the postwar years, causing a shift in American beliefs. Plastic waste in the oceans was first discovered in the 1960s, during which time Americans grew more cognizant of environmental issues.
Silent Spring, a book written by Rachel Carson in 1962, demonstrated the risks of chemical pesticides. A massive oil leak happened off the coast of California in 1969, and the polluted Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught fire, causing pollution worries. As public knowledge of environmental issues grew, observers began to grow concerned about the persistence of plastic garbage.
According to researchers, the ocean now contains approximately 5.25 trillion particles of plastic, with 8.75 million metric tons added each year.
Plastic is tough to avoid because it appears to be utilized in practically everything we buy. However, now more than ever, it is critical that we take action to reduce plastic pollution. Every year, one trillion plastic bags are dumped around the world.
Plastics can take hundreds of years to disintegrate and break down into microplastics while they do so. Microplastics work their way up the food chain, causing harm to species and finally landing on our plates.
For a long time, the ocean, one of the most diverse environments on the planet, has been threatened. With each passing day, a healthy ocean with gorgeous coasts and vibrant ocean fauna becomes a faraway dream. The global flow of waste plastic into the seas endangers the life of various marine species, as well as humans indirectly.
According to a report, every minute, every day, and all year, the equivalent of a truckload of waste enters our waters.
Who will put an end to this issue and save our planet from plastic pollution? Fortunately, many organizations throughout the world are trying to safeguard our planet from plastic pollution on our behalf.
According to National Geographic,
“Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations. That’s the equivalent of setting five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of coastline around the world”.
Table of Contents
What are Plastic Pollution Organisations?
Plastic Pollution organisations are non-profit organisations that advocate for less use of plastics, especially single-use plastics. They provide opportunities for every stakeholder in society including big and small organizations, industries and companies and every person to take responsibility for reducing to a near-zero percentage the use of plastics, especially single-use plastics.
These organizations work to safeguard the ocean and other elements of the environment from plastic harm through various campaigns and other actions.
Benefits of Plastic Pollution Organizations
Plastic pollution organizations have various advantages, including the preservation of natural resources, environmental protection, and cost savings. Lowering plastic consumption which is the major agenda goal of the plastics organization has some advantages, including:
- Plastic pollution organizations design product standards, certifications, and labelling requirements to inform the public about the environmental effects of plastic, as well as the health and safety risks associated with its manufacture and usage.
- Plastic pollution organizations propagate extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes to ensure that producers are held accountable for single-use plastic items throughout their entire life cycles.
- They reduce pollution by reducing the quantity of new raw materials needed.
- They can be able to influence the use of energy, conserving
- They help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
- They also help reduce the amount of garbage that needs to be recycled or sent to landfills/incinerators in underdeveloped countries.
- They save money since reusable goods are less expensive than buying new plastic.
- They enlighten the public about the dangers of the use of plastics.
Top 20 plastic pollution organizations Globally
Here are the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally that are working hard to keep the environment, including the oceans, healthy and beautiful.
- Plastic Ocean Foundation
- Post Landfill Action Network
- Plastic Pollution Coalition
- The Plastic Bank
- Story of Stuff
- Ocean Conservancy
- Surfrider Foundation
- Oceana
- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
- Take 3
- Green Peace
- The 5 Gyres Institute
- RicO’Barry’s Dolphin Project
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- Blue Frontier Campaign
- Plastic Free Foundation
- Exxpedition
- Ocean Blue Project
- Plastics for Change Foundation
1. Plastic Ocean Foundation
Plastic ocean foundation is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. The makers of the award-winning documentary A Plastic Ocean established this organization with a mission: “We want to change the world’s attitude towards plastic within a generation.” Plastic Oceans is spearheading a global push to rethink plastic and solve its negative effects on the environment.
The organization produces films, runs educational programs, and uses campaigns to inspire and empower changemakers, among other things. Plastic Oceans prepared an infographic for Plastic Free July that shares nine concrete strategies for reducing plastic consumption.
2. Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN)
Post landfill action network (PLAN) is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Plastic Free July is being brought to college campuses by the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN), which is offering a virtual course to students and teachers. The course includes a toolkit for launching a plastic-free campaign on your campus as well as basic information on the plastic catastrophe and our critical role in its resolution.
3. Plastic Pollution Coalition
The plastic pollution coalition is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. A Network of Blue Oceans The Plastic Pollution Coalition is a growing global collaboration of individuals, groups, businesses, and legislators who are committed to reducing plastic pollution. The collaborative platform aims to eliminate plastic pollution and its harmful effects on humans, animals, waterways, and oceans, as well as the ecosystem.
Dianna Cohen, the company’s founder and a plastic artist, was interviewed at the 2015 Blue Ocean Summit. The Plastic Pollution Coalition is committed to persuading people to avoid using single-use plastics. They are attempting to raise $10,000 in honour of Plastic Free July to further their efforts in assisting others in becoming plastic-free and fighting for a world free of plastic pollution.
4. The Plastic Bank
The plastic bank is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Ocean plastic originates from some of the world’s poorest countries. Plastic is an asset that generates recyclers and precious “money” that the impoverished can utilize and benefit from, according to the Plastic Bank. The Plastic Bank has built the world’s largest chain of poor stores, people’s where anything may be bought in exchange for plastic waste.
This has completed the circle toward a circular economy, resulting in plastic neutrality (like carbon neutrality) that benefits both people and the environment. The plastic is processed and resold to firms such as Henkel and Marks & Spencer, which buy “social plastic” to use in their products.
5. Story of Stuff
The Story of Stuff Project, a BON ocean ally is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally and is transforming the way we make, use, and dispose of Stuff to create a happier and healthier planet. They’ve built a global community of over a million changemakers fighting to make the world a healthier and more just place.
They offer video content and other information about the environmental impact of plastic and how to live a plastic-free lifestyle. They are currently filming the Story of Plastic and are active in microbead and microfiber initiatives with accompanying short films.
They pledged to participate in the Plastic Free July Challenge and encourage others to do so as well. The Project strives to change the narrative surrounding plastic and its effects on humans through education and outreach.
6. Ocean Conservancy
Ocean Conservancy is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They are a leading advocacy organization established in Washington, D.C. that works to safeguard distinctive marine habitats, restore sustainable fisheries, and, most critically, reduce human impact on ocean ecosystems.
To safeguard our oceans, the organization works on public education as well as lobbying for policy changes that will allow ocean biodiversity to thrive. The International Coastal Cleanup program, which the Ocean Conservancy has been conducting for over 30 years, brings millions of volunteers together to clean beaches all around the world.
Before taking its current name, the organization was known as the Delta Conservancy, the Center for Environmental Education, and the Center for Marine Conservation.
7. Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Being a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the global protection of oceans and beaches, surfrider foundation advocates for governmental action, scientific improvements, and grassroots action to safeguard 100 per cent of the world’s coastlines.
Recognizing the threats that pollution, offshore development, and climate change pose to the ocean, the California-based organization works on topics such as water quality, plastic pollution, beach access, coastal protection, and marine and coastal ecosystem sustainability.
According to the organization, its volunteers test the ocean waters all year to ensure that the public is informed about the water quality in their area. They also create attractive landscapes that catch runoff before it reaches the ocean as part of their Ocean Friendly Gardens program.
Many environmental groups have benefited from their Plastic Straws Suck campaign, which has enabled them to deliver the no-plastic straw to their people. Restaurants and their customers are responding to the Straws Suck campaign.
The non-profit understands that the best way to stop ocean pollution is to start at the source. This is why the Ocean Friendly Restaurants Program was developed. This program encourages restaurants along the coast to take action by eliminating single-use plastics, conserving water, becoming more energy-efficient, and committing to sustainable sourcing.
8. Oceana
Oceana is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They are ocean conservation and advocacy organization established in Washington, D.C., dedicated to saving and restoring oceans through targeted policy initiatives. Oceana is the world’s largest worldwide advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean protection, having been founded in 2001.
The organization runs focused initiatives to avoid fish population collapse, marine mammal extinction, and other sea life damage caused by commercial fishing and pollution. Oceana is participating in efforts to end key sources of ocean pollution such as oil, mercury, aquaculture, and shipping emissions as part of its campaigns.
Furthermore, the organization works to conserve critical maritime areas such as the Arctic, the Aleutian Islands, the Mediterranean, and Chile’s Juan Fernandez Islands, among others.
9. Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They are a Washington-based marine conservation organization that uses direct action tactics to defend the oceans. It has been delaying Japanese whaling activity in the Southern Ocean since 2005. The Earth Force Society, founded in 1977 by Paul Watson, a former member of Greenpeace, is involved in a range of “controversial actions” to protect the ocean and marine life.
Scuttling and crippling whaling vessels, meddling in seal hunts, and pouring bottles of foul-smelling butyric acid into whaling vessels at sea are only some of the actions carried out by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The Japanese government has labelled Sea Shepherd eco-terrorists for obstructing their study as a result of the organization’s efforts.
10. Take 3
Take 3 is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Being a clean beach initiative, Take 3 is a non-profit organization based in Australia that focuses on reducing plastic pollution in the oceans and on beaches. The organization encourages beachgoers to take only three pieces of trash before leaving the beach and sites near any waterways or bodies of water, in addition to educating people about the dangers of marine plastic pollution.
Because millions of tons of plastic wind up in our oceans every year, our project thinks that tiny steps can lead to great outcomes in the fight against plastic pollution. On their website, they have a plastic-free living guide and are committed to inspiring communities to take action against plastic waste. Take 3 has also pledged to participate in the Plastic Free July Challenge.
11. Green Peace
The Green Peace group is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They are the most successful in the field of oceans, work on a variety of issues concerning the marine environment. With its global network, the organization urges large firms to minimize their plastic footprint on top of the flow of plastic into our oceans. Green Peace is also working on issues such as unsustainable industrial fishing, climate change, and ocean acidification.
12. The 5 Gyres Institute
The 5 Gyres Institute is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Co-founded by husband-and-wife team Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins, 5 Gyres Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing plastic waste by focusing on performing research on global plastic pollution. According to the organization, pollution is combated through science, art, education, and adventure.
Because of their efforts, the organizations were able to assist in the implementation of a ban on plastic microbeads in skincare and cosmetic goods in the United States in 2015. On 17 annual research cruises, 50,000 miles of water have been surveyed, making it one of the first to investigate the impact of plastic pollution on the world’s oceans.
The creators of 5 Gyres are also founding members of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, in addition to making substantial scientific contributions. Break Free From Plastic, an international movement combining nonprofits to combat plastic pollution with an emphasis on social and environmental justice is also a member of 5 Gyres.
Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins’ research has revealed the rate of plastic degradation in the world’s ocean gyres. There are no longer “plastic islands,” but rather a worldwide plastic haze that is sweeping the globe, suffocating our ocean and its marine life.
The organization offers a slew of useful scientific publications, including the most recent Plastics BAN List 2.0, which provides an overview of the most polluting plastics and better alternatives presently (BAN) available.
13. RicO’Barry’s Dolphin Project
RicO’Barry Dolphin project is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Richard (Ric)O’Barry, who launched the project in 1982, has worked both within and against the dolphin captive industry. Ric O’Barry was the trainer of five dolphins who appeared in the TV show Flipper. After one of the Flipper dolphins died in his arms, O’Barry switched from training to advocating against dolphin captivity.
Under this project, O’Barry, who believes Kathy committed suicide, is advocating against Japan’s harsh cetacean hunts as well as the Solomon Islands dolphin trade. He’s also rescued and rehabilitated dolphins in a variety of countries.
14. Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Based in New York City, Natural Resources Defense Council is a non-profit international environmental advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the oceans from pollution and exploitation. The organization is in favour of legislation that aids in the conservation of marine life, such as enabling overfished species to recover.
Furthermore, the council works to protect ocean riches, prevent destructive fishing methods, and protect coastal communities from offshore drilling, among other things.
15. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They are a non-profit research and higher education institution situated in the United States that conducts studies on all elements of marine science and engineering. The organization, which houses scientists and engineers, is dedicated to resolving some of the most pressing issues confronting our seas today.
The organization is also interested in providing neutral information to help shape public policy, as well as raising public awareness about the need for maritime resource protection.
16. Blue Frontier Campaign
Blue Frontier Campaign is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. The Blue Frontier Campaign strives to change ocean regulations in the United States’ 23 coastal states through a network of grassroots individual citizen activists.
The initiative’s aim, according to the Blue Frontier Campaign, is to build the solution-oriented citizen participation required to rescue our oceans, coasts, and towns. To achieve its purpose, the initiative holds regional gatherings, public education initiatives, and publishes books. David Helvarg, an award-winning novelist and journalist, began the campaign in 2003.
17. Plastic Free Foundation
The Plastic Free Foundation is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. They assist millions of individuals all around the world in reducing their plastic usage. The Plastic Free Foundation’s Plastic Free July campaign challenges individuals to shun single-use plastics for the entire month of July.
The movement has sparked the participation of 250 million people in 177 countries, who are hosting events and making personal changes to move toward a plastic-free lifestyle.
18. Exxpedition
Exxpedition is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Exxpedition is assembling a group of determined women who will embark on sailing adventures to investigate the impact of microplastics while also removing them from the ocean. eXXpedition has sent 175 women from 36 countries to sea since 2014. Scientists, educators, engineers, filmmakers, CEOs, legislators, psychologists, and others are among them.
Emily Penn, the founder of Expedition, thinks that we all have a responsibility to play in addressing the issue of plastic pollution, and that small effort adds up to making the big change needed to reduce plastics in our oceans.
19. Ocean Blue Project
Ocean Blue Project is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. Since the Ocean Blue Project’s father-and-son founders launched their Ocean Blue goal in 2012, they have kept it plastic-free. Nearly 200,000 pounds of plastic and debris have been cleaned from US beaches by volunteers to date.
The nonprofit’s main mission is to collect 1 million pounds of plastic garbage while also educating people about microplastics and doing research. By upcycling microplastics into long-lasting items, Ocean Blue keeps ocean plastic out of landfills and helps to a circular economy.
20. Plastics for Change Foundation
Plastic for Change foundation is one of the top 20 plastic pollution organizations globally. The Plastics for Change Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of waste pickers in India and formalizing the informal waste sector. In India, millions of individuals make a profession gathering, sorting, recycling, and selling goods that others have discarded. In India, garbage-pickers are the only means of collecting solid waste, resulting in significant public benefits and environmental sustainability.
While some regions are beginning to recognize their achievements, they nevertheless face societal stigma and poor housing and working conditions. We provide respectable and sustainable economic possibilities for urban populations and improve their quality of life through social interventions at the Plastics for Change Foundation.
Top 20 Plastic Pollution Organizations Globally – FAQs
What is being done to stop plastic pollution?
The following are some of the actions being taken to combat plastic pollution.
- Single-use Plastic Bans
- Taxes and Economic Incentives
- Product Standards
- Extended Producer Responsibility
1. Single-use Plastic Bans
Governments most often use successful legal measures to control the use of plastics placing bans and restrictions on single-use plastic products (that directly prohibit their production, distribution, or use).
2. Taxes and Economic Incentives
Governments levy a tax to discourage the manufacture or use of single-use plastics, or provide tax breaks, subsidies, and other economic incentives to encourage the adoption of alternatives to single-use plastics.
3. Product Standards
Product standards, certifications, and labelling requirements are designed to inform the public about the environmental effects of plastic, as well as the health and safety risks associated with its manufacture and usage.
4. Extended Producer Responsibility
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are being implemented to ensure that producers are held accountable for single-use plastic items throughout their entire life cycles.
How can I join in the fight against plastic pollution?
- Use fewer single-use plastics
- Support legislation to reduce plastic production and waste
- Recycle properly.
- Help clean up a beach or river (or organize one).
- Microbead-containing products should be avoided.
- Get the Word Out
- Help Organizations Fighting Plastic Pollution
Can I join any plastic pollution organization for free?
Yes, just like joining any other environmental organisation, you can join any plastic pollution organization for free but, before you join any plastic organization through registration on their online platforms, you are required to be committed to the fight against plastic pollution.
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A passion-driven environmentalist by heart. Lead content writer at EnvironmentGo.
I strive to educate the public about the environment and its problems.
It has always been about nature, we ought to protect not destroy.