Healthy Seas is committed to protecting the oceans and combating plastic waste

The world needs good ideas to tackle environmental pollution. It needs initiatives involving people who are creative and highly committed – like the Healthy Seas Foundation. ERGO supported the work of this environmental organisation with a donation from World Cleanup Day 2024, in which many colleagues from German and international units took part. To mark UN World Oceans Day on 8 June, we took a look behind the scenes. 

Marine litter is a global problem. It has only received media attention in recent years, but this has been overshadowed by ever-changing geopolitical and economic issues and crises. Against this backdrop, marine pollution and its consequences are quickly fading from view.

Oceans are suffocating in plastic waste

Plastic plays a particularly inglorious role in marine litter. Here are some key figures from the UN: Every year, 19-23 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into aquatic ecosystems, polluting lakes, rivers and seas. Emissions of plastic waste into aquatic ecosystems are projected to nearly triple by 2040 without meaningful action. The volume of plastics in the ocean has been estimated to be around 75-199 million tonnes. And approximately 7,000 million of the estimated 9,200 million tonnes of cumulative plastic production between 1950 and 2017 became plastic waste. Microplastics also pollute humans and endanger their health. The urgent appeal can only be to counter this development with all our might.

Released plastic, polystyrene and fishing nets decompose, become microplastics, kill marine life and lead to a loss of biodiversity. They pollute beaches and also pose a threat to the local population and the economy, such as the tourism industry. The WWF estimates that the annual cost of plastic waste disposal in the Asia-Pacific region alone amounts to 622 million dollars. We are talking about around 640,000 tonnes that end up in the sea every year.

Circular economy as an effective solution model

With its many regional and local campaigns, the Healthy Seas Foundation highlights the global interconnectedness of waterways. Oceans and rivers know no boundaries. But what happens to all the waste that is collected? Healthy Seas is convinced of the benefits of the circular economy. The idea is as simple as it is ingenious: the more material that can be returned to production and consumption, the lower the amount of waste. Thanks to one of its founding partner Aquafil, pioneering work has been done on the path from waste to textile. Together with other nylon waste, the nylon fishing nets are used to make new textile yarn and nylon material for innovative products, such as garments and carpets.

Since its inception, Healthy Seas has relied on strong networks and partners. The expertise, skills and commitment of many individuals form the basis for the successful work, which is reflected in the figures: 1,228 tonnes of marine litter have been recovered to date. Healthy Seas is active in 20 countries. The organisation can count on 550 volunteers. 150 partners are important supporters, and 1,250 fishermen and fish farmers are behind the idea. Partners and multipliers are important ambassadors.

Leveraging proven partnerships and gaining new multipliers are a great help when it comes to combating marine pollution. With them, the campaigns gain new momentum time and again. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, for example, provided a platform to raise global awareness of the issue and communicate the importance of healthy seas in a high-profile manner.

Who is the Healthy Seas Foundation? 

Healthy Seas was founded in 2013 by two companies and an NGO as a foundation dedicated to protecting the oceans and seas around the world. It is based on three pillars: clean ups, education and prevention of marine litter. Its main task is to combat the problem of marine litter, with a focus on fishing nets. Many people are unaware of the ecological threat this poses. So-called ghost nets, which have been lost or left behind at sea, remain in the water for hundreds of years continuing trapping and killing marine animals needlessly and are a ticking ecological time bomb.

Healthy Seas is active worldwide with the aim of promoting healthier aquatic ecosystems. Together with volunteer diving teams, highly complex and demanding clean-up projects are carried out around the globe. The clean-up of shipwrecks, such as sunken warships, is of great importance. Such wrecks act as artificial reefs and provide an ideal habitat for many marine organisms, but only if nature is allowed to take its course. Healthy Seas also carries out clean-up operations in coastal areas, on beaches, lakes and riverbanks – wherever rubbish is visible and polluting the environment.

Universities work with Healthy Seas to equip a new generation of marine conservationists, biologists and aquaculture professionals with the scientific knowledge they need for a more sustainable fishing industry and the protection of the seas. Its own educational programmes, which were expanded again last year, focus on the positive effects of a functioning circular economy. Healthy Seas organises lectures and stimulates discussions in schools and communities with one goal in mind: to deepen awareness and connection to practical environmental protection.

Website of Healthy Seas: https://www.healthyseas.org/

About the person

VVeronika Mikos is an economist with many years of experience. She has been head of the organisation for ten years. Under her leadership, Healthy Seas has become a leading force in the fight against marine litter. She has established strategic partnerships with industry leaders and stakeholders to facilitate clean-up operations and the recycling and reuse of fishing nets into sustainable products. As director of Healthy Seas, she drives effective change and uses her expertise and passion to protect valuable marine ecosystems.

Text: Bärbel Naberbäumer/Martin Sulkowsky