A blue whale, the largest mammal in the world, can consume up to 10 million pieces of microplastic per day, which is equivalent to about 43 kilograms.
To tackle plastic pollution, material innovation, increasing alternatives to single-use plastic and reducing production are essential, according to the latest Global Ocean Assessment, published on Monday.
Manta rays in Bali, Indonesia, navigate through plastic pollution.
For the past six years, the international community has been working toward a global plastics treaty that could limit plastic production and help “turn off the tap” on an industry valued at more than $1.1 trillion by 2023.
Negotiations are ongoing and the next round of talks is scheduled for March 13 to 24, 2027.
Meanwhile, sustainable alternatives to plastics could help reduce our global dependence, curbing the harmful effects of plastic pollution in our oceans. However, alternatives still must overcome several important obstacles.
Tariffs hamper alternatives
A key challenge preventing sustainable alternatives from competing with conventional plastics is whether they can compete on cost in current markets.
Although global trade in plastic substitutes reached $485 billion in 2023, growing the sector requires measures to address tariff and non-tariff measures, limited market access, and weak regulatory incentives.
“The key barrier is an uneven domestic and trade policy field,” said the United Nations Agency for Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The differences in tariffs are marked. Tariffs on plastic and rubber products have fallen over the past 30 years, from 34 percent to 7.2 percent.
Meanwhile, alternatives such as paper, bamboo, natural fibers and seaweed face average tariffs double the rate, at 14.4 percent, “making environmentally preferable viable alternatives less competitive,” UNCTAD said.
“Plastics have benefited from decades of market maturation, scale, infrastructure and favorable trading conditions,” UNCTAD said.
Amid this favorable climate for plastics, production continues to increase.
Global exports of plastics or products made from plastic have more than doubled in value since 2005.
“The challenge is to transform a global packaging system that has been built around cheap fossil fuel-based plastics for decades,” said Ben Taylor, a representative of Notpla, a UK-based company that works with UNCTAD and makes biodegradable packaging from algae and plants.
The biodegradable problem
Another challenge is that substitutes need very specific conditions to biodegrade, conditions that are often not found in the ocean.
“Many of the new biodegradable plastics only really decompose under industrial composting conditions, with controlled temperature, humidity and microbial communities. So when you put them in the ocean, they don’t necessarily behave in the same way,” warned Ian Butler, editor-in-chief of the Global Ocean Assessment.
Added to this is the concern that some plant-based plastic substitutes could compete for land use for food production, which could lead to greater downstream impacts.
“The belief that these biodegradable and plant-based plastics are the solution unfortunately gives the idea that we have solved the problem, everything is fine, but that is not the reality,” Butler added.
How alternatives can compete
According to UNCTAD, several key steps are needed for sustainable alternatives to challenge plastics on a large scale and “regain market share.”
- Rebalancing of tariff and non-tariff measures
- Reduce risks in the supply of non-plastic materials.
- Invest in newer materials, rewarding those that benefit the environment
- Build infrastructure to scale sustainably
While these changes will incur additional costs, UNCTAD believes that the long-term environmental benefit and socio-economic value in terms of employment, foreign exchange and regional development will offset that.
Are rising energy costs accelerating the transition?
Meanwhile, one way to speed up this transition is if plastics suddenly became more expensive.
Currently, up to 98 percent of plastics are derived from fossil fuels, and volatile energy and petrochemical prices significantly affect their cost and availability.
This has created a push for renewable energy-based substitutes.
The ocean leads the way
The ocean itself could provide the solution, helping to alleviate the pollution crisis that affects it so deeply.
Algae-based materials, which are fully compostable, are becoming a promising substitute for plastic, especially in packaging. Seaweed is especially promising because it is a rapidly renewable resource that grows without fresh water, fertilizer, or agricultural land.
Global seaweed production has tripled in the last two decades, while exports have quadrupled to reach $3.9 billion in 2022.
“As adoption grows, economies of scale improve and sustainable solutions become increasingly competitive,” Taylor said.
Regulatory loopholes slow seaweed trade
However, the path is not easy for many producers: entering the global seaweed trade remains difficult, as regulations on seaweed remain incomplete and fragmented, especially for new uses that are not clearly defined in international trade systems.
This ultimately increases compliance costs for producers, especially small businesses seeking to take advantage of the abundance of seaweed in many coastal developing countries, limiting their ability to export.
Local people in Watamu, Kenya work with Local Ocean Conservation to collect plastic on the beach every Friday.
Some optimism as momentum shifts
Without stronger incentives, clearer regulations and better market access, sustainable alternatives will struggle to compete with conventional plastics.
A shift in public momentum and pressure can help speed up the transition.
“What gives us optimism is the momentum we are seeing around the world. Consumers are demanding better solutions, companies are setting ambitious sustainability goals, and policymakers are introducing regulations designed to reduce unnecessary plastic waste,” Taylor said.