This year's Waste Free Oceans Conference will be held on Oct. 14 in the European Parliament in Brussels, bringing together a range of parties to discuss the issue of marine litter.
The event, officially hosted by parliament member Alain Cadec, chairman of the European fisheries committee, will feature policy makers, the plastics industry, the fisheries sector, NGOs and various stakeholders.
One recent study estimates that 4 million to 12 million metric tons of plastics are washed into the world's oceans annually — or between 1.5 and 4.5 percent of the world's total plastic production.
The October conference will mainly focus on fishermen and their role as ‘Guardians of the Sea', working to reduce the amount of marine debris. It will feature a presentation by Stephanie Maes, project manager of Waste Free Oceans Presentation.