Greenpeace ships set sail to tell the global story of plastic pollution

In an effort to bring to life the global plastic pollution problem and hold consumer goods companies accountable worldwide, Greenpeace deployed two ships to tell a story and bring concrete action to stop the problem. The Rainbow Warrior and the Beluga have set sail in the Mediterranean Sea protesting the plastic pollution and asking supporters to join the Plastic-Free-Future Campaign.

The corporations being held accountable include Nestle, Unilever, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo., Colgate, Danone, Johnson & Johnson, and Mars along with many other big fast-moving consumer goods companies globally.

“Whether we like it or not, the throwaway lifestyle is taking hold around the world – and most of the plastic packages that fill our bins and landfills, our communities, rivers and oceans come from large companies selling ‘fast-moving’ consumer goods.”

Together, these companies don’t have a comprehensive plan to end single-use packaging and instead have a plan to quadruple their plastic production by 2050, Greenpeace reported. And with 90 percent of the plastic ever produced left to be recycled, Greenpeace fears recycling will never solve the global plastic pollution problem.

While Greenpeace International started the Break Free from Plastic movement with more than 1,400 allies and 3 million participants, the movement organized 239 cleanups in 42 countries in an attempt to uncover the biggest corporate polluters and hold them accountable, Greenpeace reported.

“Forty percent of all plastics made in 2015 were used in packaging, the largest of all markets for plastics.”

Now, the grassroots organization is going to the source to take urgent action to stop plastic pollution.

To read more about Greenpeace’s campaign and to follow the ships at sea, click here.