Plastic Pollution and Animal Welfare

Plastic pollution causes widespread suffering to marine and terrestrial wildlife through entanglement, ingestion, ghost fishing and toxic contamination.

Key Facts

An estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually
Over 700 marine species have been documented interacting with plastic debris
Entanglement in lost fishing gear kills an estimated 300,000 cetaceans and seabirds annually
Ingested plastics cause intestinal blockage, malnutrition and chemical toxicity
Microplastics have been found in the bodies of animals from polar bears to deep sea fish

Welfare Considerations

Plastic entanglement causes animals prolonged suffering through restricted movement, limb loss, strangulation and drowning. Ghost fishing nets continue catching and killing animals for years or decades after being lost. Ingestion causes gradual starvation as plastic fills digestive systems, giving false satiety. The welfare impact of plastic pollution is at massive scale — billions of individual animals affected — and largely reversible through production and use changes.

What You Can Do

Reduce single-use plastic consumption and switch to reusable alternatives
Participate in beach or waterway cleanups to remove plastic before it reaches the ocean
Support extended producer responsibility legislation making plastic manufacturers responsible for end-of-life
Donate to organisations removing ghost fishing gear from marine environments