In a recent video by Business Insider, producer Elizabeth McCauley dives deep into the scientific research and interviews experts to uncover what we’ve been getting wrong about ocean plastic and what it really takes to solve the crisis.
Misconceptions about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The video reveals that many common beliefs about ocean plastic, especially the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, are misleading. Rather than a visible island of trash, the patch is a vast, diffuse vortex mainly composed of fishing gear, not everyday consumer waste. Many images circulating online are either mistaken or outright fake. The patch is actually less polluted than many coastal areas, where consumer plastics like bottles and wrappers dominate.
The real sources of ocean plastic pollution
McCauley explains that littering is only a small part of the problem. The majority of ocean plastic comes from mismanaged waste—dumped or burned improperly on land—leaking into the environment. Furthermore, just a handful of large companies contribute a significant share of branded plastic pollution. Recycling, though necessary, can’t solve the crisis alone because only a small fraction of ocean-bound plastics are recyclable, and global recycling rates remain stubbornly low.
The growing challenge of microplastics
The video also highlights the massive challenge of microplastics, which come from surprising sources like tire dust and paint, containing plastic polymers that shed extensively into the environment.
Industry resistance and the future of plastic production
Despite many corporate and government promises, plastic pollution keeps rising due to increasing plastic production, with powerful fossil fuel industries pushing back against efforts to reduce output.
The global treaty currently in negotiation aims to cut production and simplify plastic chemistry, but industry giants continue expanding plastic manufacturing, showing the complexity of tackling this growing problem. The Global Plastics Treaty is an international agreement currently being negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations to address the global plastic pollution crisis, particularly focusing on plastics in the marine environment. The treaty aims to tackle the entire life cycle of plastics from production and design to waste management and cleanup.
In 2019, IMO in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a global project called “GloLitter Partnerships Project.” GloLitter helps developing countries find new opportunities to prevent and reduce marine litter, such as plastic debris, while also enable companies to decline the use of plastics in these industries, also proposing the idea of re-use and recycle plastics.
On the regulatory front, in 2024, IMO’s Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR 11) agreed draft recommendations for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea, along with draft guidelines for cleaning up plastic pellet spills from ships.
Additionally, on 8 April 2025, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on new regulations aimed at reducing plastic pellet losses which are key contributors to microplastic pollution. According to Danish Shipping, it is an important step forward that The European Union has adopted binding rules to secure safer transport of plastic pellets.
