Earlier this month, Pacific tourism partners took an important step toward reducing single-use plastics in the Pacific islands.
The Pacific Tourism Organisation and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have released a new plastics certification framework and implementation toolkit. The toolkit will provide:
- support for governments and businesses in the region
- practical steps for the elimination of single-use plastics in the tourism industry.
Tourism brings many benefits to the Pacific islands, but it also brings more plastic waste. Single-use plastics pollute our shared marine environment and harm marine life.
This framework and toolkit were developed in partnership with:
- SPREP
- our Pacific Ocean Litter Project (POLP)
- the Pacific Tourism Organisation
- industry partners.
It builds on the Standards for Phasing Out Single-Use Plastics launched in 2023.
We partner with SPREP to deliver the $16 million POLP (2019-2027). The POLP is working to reduce single-use plastics in the coastal environments of Pacific island countries, such as:
- plastic bottles
- bags
- take-away food containers
- cutlery
- straws.
It strengthens our commitment to making the Pacific islands more sustainable.
We continue to prioritise work with our Pacific neighbours on shared environmental priorities. As Pacific nations, we share an ocean, a future and custodianship of the vast Blue Pacific Continent.
