Retulp is a business partner of the World Wildlife Fund - WWF

Because plastic cannot biodegrade, it stays around for years and falls apart into smaller and smaller pieces. All these tiny particles turn the oceans into a plastic soup. Every year millions of animals die because they get tangled up in plastic or ingest it. This must and can be changed.

The projected growth of plastic pollution in large parts of our oceans will have irreparable ecological consequences by the end of this century if no action is taken now to reduce the use and production of plastic. The production of plastic is expected to more than double by 2040, quadrupling the plastic waste in the ocean by 2050. This is the alarming conclusion of the World Wildlife Fund.

Vulnerable nature such as coral reefs and mangrove forests suffer particularly badly. The overview report shows that in marine areas, with an area comparable to all EU countries, the ecological limits of microplastic concentrations will be exceeded by the end of this century. It is estimated that 90% of sea birds and 52% of sea turtles have ingested plastic. This ranges from pieces of plastic in the stomach, plastic debris stuck around an animal's neck to plasticizers in the blood. Crucial ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangroves are also at great risk from pollution.