Addressing marine plastic pollution: a systematic literature review

After being for a long time disregarded, marine plastic pollution is now a growing topic among scholars, industry and government. It represents an enormous pressing threat to the integrity of the marine ecosystem, influencing its ability to provide socio-economic benefits on which human well-being is based [1]. The need to react is clear: the annual discharge of plastic into the ocean is estimated to be 11 million tons [2]. Projections indicate that by 2040, plastic leakage into the ocean will nearly triple [2].

This article aims to perform a systematic literature review on marine plastic pollution, approaching it from a problem-solving perspective. The study provides readers with an overview of how the issue is generally perceived and the potential solutions implemented and proposed thus far. Indeed, as a multi-sectoral problem, marine plastic pollution does not have a single solution. An appropriate approach to the problem should involve several levels of action: governmental (at local and global levels) and community-based (consumer and industry commitment and local initiatives). To conduct our systematic review, we decided to narrow our research to three aspects essential for effectively addressing the issue: consumer perception of marine plastic pollution, best local practices of plastic pollution management and global governance of marine plastic.

Consumer perception of the issue is crucial in the fight against marine plastic pollution. In this regard, many authors highlight the important role that the general public can play in influencing patterns of industrial and government choice of actions. Sharing knowledge and raising the level of awareness about the issue appears essential. Many authors also stress the importance of bottom-up approaches to implement sustainable waste management. In this sense, local management of marine plastic debris can be seen as an opportunity for communities to drive economic development based on innovative use and disposal of plastic waste. As for the governance level, this study tries to collect research on marine plastics devoted to the study of the ongoing and future possible actions that global decision-makers can take to address the issue. Notwithstanding the high relevance of local governance of marine plastic pollution, we have decided to focus our attention on the global governance level. Indeed, marine plastic pollution, as a global problem, necessarily needs a coordinated international response. Despite the optimistic expectations stemming from the ongoing negotiations for a global plastics-binding treaty since March 2022, the reviewed authors denounce the current international marine plastic legal framework as incomplete and fragmented, characterised by a shortage of effective and binding instruments to reduce marine plastic pollution. Overall, from the analysis of our selected articles, it is possible to observe a rising widespread consensus on the urgency for transitioning from the current linear take–make–dispose approach to a more circular model.