Grant Programme against Marine Litter

About the funding programme

Marine litter is a global challenge. Plastic waste in particular causes significant environmental damage. The Grant Programme against Marine Litter supports projects that prevent plastic waste from entering the oceans.

Oceans are the planet’s largest ecosystems, providing a habitat and basis of existence for a vast number of species. They act as global CO₂ sinks and as such play an important role in combating global warming. At the same time, they are important sources of food and income for millions of people. However, these important ecosystems are subject to increasing pressure: approximately 23 million tons of plastic waste are flushed into the oceans every year. Estimates assume that the annual amount of plastic entering the oceans will triple by 2040.

Plastic Pollution and Climate Crisis: Marine ecosystems under stress

Plastic waste reduces the CO₂ storage functions of the oceans. Moreover, key raw materials used in plastic production are of fossil origin and account for a large share of their overall consumption, thus contributing considerably to the climate crisis. However, marine debris not only aggravates the climate crisis, but also threatens marine biodiversity: marine animals mistake plastic waste for food or become entangled in it and die. Furthermore, plastic waste consumed by animals can also enter the human food chain. The simultaneous burdens of plastic pollution and the climate crisis are putting marine ecosystems under pressure – with large-scale consequences for the entire planetary balance.

Marine protection is a global task: the prevention of marine litter can only be achieved through international cooperation. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 from the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and several international agreements highlight the reduction of marine litter as an important contribution to protecting marine ecosystems. With its approaching, legally binding plastics convention, the United Nations is addressing the prevention of plastic pollution as a joint task for all UN member states. The German government has repeatedly positioned this issue at the top of the political agenda during its G7 and G20 presidencies and at the United Nations environment assembly.

Preventing marine debris sustainably

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) is supplementing the federal government's commitment to protecting marine ecosystems with its funding programme ‘Marine Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe’ (Marine:DeFRAG). The primary goal here is to stop plastic waste by avoiding it right from the beginning, so that it doesn’t enter the oceans in the first place. This requires actions that establish and develop functioning waste management systems and circular economies in the short, medium and long term, strengthen institutional capacities and initiate social transformation.