Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental and health issues of our time. If nothing changes, plastic waste in the environment could increase by 50% by 2040, with disastrous consequences for ecosystems and human health.
To highlight the urgent need for action against this pollution, we participated in the third United Nations Ocean Conference, held from 9 to 13 June in Nice.
On 11 June 2025, we organised our first UNOC3 side event at Mama Shelter in Nice, in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation: ‘Plastic pollution in the Mediterranean: how to align the reality on the ground with funding priorities’.
During a closed-door session with our partners and donors, we reflected together on how to better align needs on the ground with funding frameworks. It was also an excellent opportunity to come together and work towards a common goal: combating plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. We warmly thank all our partners for these fruitful exchanges and their valuable contributions throughout the discussions.
We also participated in several events:
- Presentation at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF), a session entitled ‘Tackling Plastic Pollution and promoting circularity with finance’, organised by The Sustainable Finance Institute and the UNEP Finance Initiative, on 7 June. This was an opportunity to showcase our work with hotels and demonstrate that a zero-plastic approach also has economic benefits for hotels.
- Participation in the round table organised by Circé.Med, in the Green Zone – La Baleine – ‘À bout de plastique’ (Tara Océan) pavilion, on Monday 9 June 2025, entitled: ‘Cooperating for a Mediterranean circular economy’. We were able to highlight the importance of sharing best practices and resources within our network to maximise the collective impact of our actions.
- Speaker at the event organised by Surfrider Foundation Europe: ‘Turning off the Tap: Fostering Cooperation to End Marine Plastic Pollution’’, on 10 June 2025, at the Ocean Base Camp, in the Green Zone. We spoke at the event to present our approach focused on supporting stakeholders in the field and working with the private sector, illustrating the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration to sustainably reduce plastic pollution in the Mediterranean.
- Participation to a livestreamed round table hosted by SMILO – Small Islands Organisation on Thursday 12 June, an opportunity to explain why it is essential to support islands through our call for projects. Reminding that these territories often face specific challenges such as tourism pressure and waste management systems that rely heavily on the mainland. That is why we prioritize reducing plastic pollution at the source. The island scale also offers a unique setting to implement systemic changes on a smaller scale, fostering innovation and serving as a source of inspiration for broader transitions.
Let’s keep up the momentum! We hope that these efforts will contribute to the adoption of an ambitious global treaty on plastics that will enable major changes to protect people and the planet.
