The health, resilience and productivity of marine and coastal ecosystems is increasingly affected by pollution, including land-based nutrient, pesticide and plastic pollution.

WWF and our supporters have worked to raise the public and political prominence of plastic pollution, creating opportunities for coordinated action from the local to international level. We are strongly backing efforts to secure a legally binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.

No Plastics in Nature

The No Plastics in Nature Initiative seeks to address plastic pollution using three  complementary strategies: securing a robust global plastics treaty, driving improvements in municipal waste management, and working with the private sector to directly reduce plastic pollution. 

The complexity of the issue demands a holistic approach. In order to prevent plastic from making its way into nature, we work on three key areas:

• Reduce the amount of plastic in the system
• Increase the reuse and recycling of the plastic in the system
• Eliminate the leakage of plastic out of the system

Through our global policy work, we are advocating for the creation of a globally binding framework that increases accountability from governments and businesses, and gets us to zero discharge of plastic into the marine environment. The framework must include national reduction targets, monitoring requirements and global standards.

By engaging with businesses, we aim to transform the plastic value chain, creating more circular systems from beginning to end. This includes reducing use, redesigning packaging, increase reuse and recycling, and the use of sustainable alternative materials where appropriate. By working to establish effective extended producer responsibility programs, we also aim to increase the accountability of businesses for plastic pollution.

By working with cities in countries that have the highest plastic leakage rates, we aim to pilot the development of more effective waste management practices. This includes policy advocacy, facilitating industry roundtables and supporting entrepreneurial solutions with the goal of reducing plastic waste volumes and increasing collection, separation and recycling levels.

Noise Pollution

For many species, sound is an essential part of daily life – the primary means by which they navigate, find food and mates, communicate with one another and avoid danger – and is crucial to their survival. But underwater noise from shipping and other industries is interfering with many species’ ability to carry out these activities. Underwater noise is pollution, but if we stop putting it in the ocean, it will disappear.

WWF supports measures to manage underwater noise from shipping, such as rerouting vessels from the most sensitive habitats and migration corridors; reducing maritime traffic speeds; offering financial incentives for quiet vessels; producing educational tools for mariners; and providing support for research and monitoring. 

Ghost Gear

One of the most damaging types of marine plastic pollution is abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear – commonly called “ghost gear.”

Ghost gear is the most deadly form of marine plastic debris. Marine debris impacts 66% of marine mammals, 50% of seabirds and all species of sea turtles – and across all species groups, ghost gear is the type most likely to prove lethal.

Working with fishers to keep ghost gear out of the ocean not only benefits marine wildlife – it improves the coastal environment for fishing communities. 

In Peru, WWF has worked with hundreds of small-scale fishers and local authorities to address solid waste management linked to fishing. In just two sites, more than 6 tons of waste have been properly managed since 2022.