Saving the world from ocean plastics pollution has much to learn from the success in healing the ozone level, says Bluewater

Stockholm, Sweden, September 16, 2019 — Bluewater, a world leader in water purification technology and solutions, today said the successful global efforts to halt ozone layer depletion provide vital lessons about tackling ocean plastic pollution. As the planet marks World Ozone Day, Bluewater urged governments globally to urgently agree to a landmark accord on ocean-polluting plastics similar to the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer.

“Everyone striving to halt single-use plastics pollution can take heart from the improvement in ozone layer health over the past three decades as a result of slashing the use of certain chemicals,” said Swedish environmental entrepreneur Bengt Rittri, the founder and CEO of Bluewater. He said he is optimistic that human ingenuity can help reverse the damage being caused to the oceans by plastic waste and industrial, agricultural, and urban effluents.

Research has also shown production of plastic impacts not only the planet’s oceans and groundwater but also causes air pollution when burnt, which releases toxins such as chlorine and bromine that destroys ozone. A recent study showed how plastic bags can directly contribute to ozone depletion due to the use of fossil fuels as well as through the printing process that releases large quantities of chemicals such as acetates.

“Survival is a core human instinct. If we succeeded in reversing the damage done to the ozone level, we also have it in our power to halt the further escalation of ocean pollution,” Mr. Rittri said.

Mr. Rittri said he believes the growing rise in global awareness around the need for action is a game-changer. And he noted how governments, cities and other organizations around the planet are already taking action to ban single-use plastic bags, straws and food packaging.

At the end of 2018, the United Nations, reported the ozone layer to be gradually healing some three decades after research first revealed greenhouse gases were depleting it on a massive scale – threatening a 25 percent leap in global temperature and tens of millions of additional skin cancer and eye cataract cases.

“The preservation of the ozone layer firmly demonstrates how concerted global action by governments to deal with a tangible threat can end in a victory. Now we must come together to end the unfettered use of single-use plastic bottlers and packaging because the very survival of future generations depends on our success,” Mr. Rittri said.

Editor notes:

-Published on 5 November 2018, the UN’s latest Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion reveals a healing ozone layer, global warming reduction potential, and options for more ambitious climate action. The findings confirm first and foremost that actions taken under the Montreal Protocol have led to long-term decreases in the atmospheric abundance of controlled ozone-depleting substances (ODSs) and the ongoing recovery of stratospheric ozone.

-World Ozone Day onSeptember 16 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19 1994, in commemoration of the date, in 1987, on which nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. https://www.un.org/en/events/ozoneday/

- During 2019 Bluewater has been honored in 2019 with two Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards as well as a 2019 K&B Kitchen Innovation of the Year Award for its efforts to help people and businesses to benefit from pure drinking water generated by the company’s state-of-the-art water purifiers that remove virtually all pollutants, including toxic metals, chemicals and micro-plastics. Bluewater endorses the UN Environment Clean Seas initiative to turn the tide on plastics.

For more information, please contact David Noble, Bluewater PR & Communications Director, at david.noble@bluewatergroup.com or +44 7785 302 694