WWF Annual Review 2021 - 29

DEMAND GROWS FOR PLASTICS ACTION
WATCH INTERIM GLOBAL
OCEANS PRACTICE LEADER
GHISLAINE LLEWELLYN DISCUSS OUR
OCEANS WORK IN 2021
From abandoned fishing gear entrapping marine
wildlife to toxic microplastics accumulating
in the food chain, plastic pollution is a major
threat to life on land and in the oceans. Each
year, more than 11 million tonnes of plastic enter
the oceans. The demand for solutions keeps
growing, with over 2 million people signing
WWF's petition and 150+ countries joining the
call for a global treaty. And further progress was
made in 2021, with the issue taking centre stage
at a UN conference on marine litter and plastic
pollution attended by government ministers.
Over 25 leading financial institutions announced
their support for a treaty ahead of the
conference, joining world-famous brands such
as Coca-Cola, Nestle and Unilever in demanding
action from UN member states. A new WWFcommissioned
report further strengthened the
case against plastic pollution - showing the huge
cost to people and planet. Momentum is building
- now we need action to follow.
OCEAN MINING MORATORIUM
We rallied companies including BMW,
Google, Patagonia, Philips, Scania, Samsung,
Volkswagen Group and Volvo Group to support
a moratorium on deep seabed mining and
commit to not using minerals from the deep
seabed. Triodos Bank committed not to finance
deep seabed mining. In September, the IUCN
World Conservation Congress resoundingly
backed a global moratorium.
BLUE ECONOMY
Thirty six organizations, including the Asian
Development Bank, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, and the
government of Portugal, have signed up to the
Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles -
a blueprint for investment in a sustainable
ocean economy that we played a pivotal role
in developing.
PROTECTION IN CHILE
We helped create a national standard for
managing marine protected areas (MPAs) in
Chile. This will ensure Chile's MPAs, which
cover 42% of its waters (more than 150
million hectares), are effectively conserved,
while respecting the rights of local
communities and generating
benefits for them.
Fishing in the City of Tabaco,
Philippines. Some 800 million people
are directly engaged in small-scale
fishing globally, with a majority
coming from low- and middleincome
countries.
29
© James Morgan / WWF

https://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?3496466/Financial-Institutions-back-UN-Treaty-on-plastic-pollution https://youtu.be/R21ZLJkPjwk https://updates.panda.org/the-hidden-cost-of-plastic https://updates.panda.org/the-hidden-cost-of-plastic

WWF Annual Review 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WWF Annual Review 2021