Shipping companies including Berge Bulk, X-Press Feeders, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and Britoil Offshore Services have come together to form the Maritime Association for Clean Seas (MACS), an industry alliance focused on reducing plastic and operational waste at scale.
The alliance, which was founded by ocean impact organisation Seven Clean Seas (SCS), will seek to coordinate efforts across the maritime industry to prevent plastic from leaking into the world’s oceans, as well as improve waste management practices on ships and at ports.
According to SCS, around 14 million tonnes of plastic waste enters and damages marine ecosystems each year.
‘While the maritime sector contributes only a small fraction of this pollution, even isolated cargo losses or poor waste handling on board or quayside can have serious consequences which could be prevented, especially with plastic pellets, films and light packaging,’ it noted. ‘By advancing best practices, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain, the industry can play a pivotal role in reducing plastic leakage and protecting the very waters it relies on.’
Standardise practices
Given that it carries around 90% of global trade, and employs more than 2 million people, the maritime industry is well placed to address the issue of ocean plastic, it added, with the members of MACS seeing an opportunity to standardise practices across the industry to reduce the impact of maritime operations on the ocean environment.
“Seven Clean Seas has always believed in collective action as the most powerful lever for change,” commented Tom Peacock-Nazil, founder and chairman of MACS. “With MACS, we’re providing the maritime industry with the tools it needs to make measurable progress against plastic pollution. Not in isolation, but together.”
The group’s efforts are aligned with the International Maritime Organization’s 2030 Plastic Marine Litter Action Plan, as well as marking a ‘key milestone’ in SCS’ mission to recover 100 million kilograms of plastic and improve 200,000 lives by 2030.
‘United industry response’
Michael Blanding, head of sustainability and communications at Berge Bulk, one of the founding members of MACS, commented that the group’s “long-standing work with SCS has already delivered tangible results, and through MACS, we’re proud to help lead a united industry response that can achieve change at scale.”
Elsewhere, Florent Kirchhoff, chief executive of Britoil Offshore Services, another founding member, added that through the MACS partnership, it will aim to “advance responsible operations through collaboration, reflecting our shared care for the oceans and the ingenuity that drives us to find solutions for a better future.” Read more here.
