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The FFEM supports measures to combat plastic pollution in the Indian Ocean
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On 9 July 2021, the FFEM signed a financing agreement for the ExPLOI (Indian Ocean Plastic Expedition) project to assist efforts to reduce and recycle plastic waste in the ocean, through the circular economy.
The exponential increase in the production and use of plastics over the last 50 years has resulted in dramatic pollution of the marine environment in every ocean on Earth, including the Indian Ocean. Every year, between 8 and 15 million tonnes of plastics are discharged into the oceans, and there is still scant understanding of the impacts of this pollution on marine biodiversity, the trophic chain and human health.
Developed by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and financed for a 5-year term by the FFEM and the AFD, ExPLOI aims to improve our understanding of the pollution caused by plastic waste and stimulate the circular economy in the Indian Ocean.
This innovative regional project focuses on 3 aspects, with a view to providing a comprehensive response to the problem of plastic pollution:
- Improving knowledge on the impacts of plastic on marine pollution.
- Environmental education and raising awareness of plastic pollution.
- Developing a regional circular economy.