Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time. Rising levels of plastics are accumulating in the environment, with the flow of plastic into the ocean projected to nearly triple by 2040. Mismanaged plastic waste alters habitats, harms wildlife, and can damage ecosystem function and services. With 80 per cent of all tourism taking place in coastal areas, plastic pollution from tourism can easily end up in oceans and waterways. Much of the plastic used in the sector is made to be thrown away and often can’t be recycled.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased the complexity of this challenge as plastic was often considered critical in the COVID-19 emergency response, including in the tourism sector. Scientists estimate that in 2021, 8.4 million tonnes of pandemic-associated plastic waste was generated[1].  Responses to the pandemic effects, implemented so far, have not sufficiently (nor systematically) considered environmental impacts. The shift to a circular economy of plastics is key for tourism destinations which rely on healthy environments for their competitive advantages. At the same time, engaging with tourism stakeholders and, in turn, tourists, brings opportunities to export knowledge and best practices and scale-up change.

The One Planet Sustainable Tourism programme set the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative to unify the sector behind a common vision of circular economy of plastics and collaborate with tourism companies and destinations to develop concrete solutions to tackle plastic pollution.

The Initiative operates the following three complementary approaches:

• By ensuring that tourism companies, suppliers, as well as relevant national and local authorities are committing to a set of ambitious and actionable targets around elimination of unnecessary and problematic plastics, introduction of reuse models and collaboration at the value chain level to increase recycling rates and recycled content
• By ensuring that organizations and companies are annually disclosing their progress of implementation
• By supporting the implementation of the targets and commitments through provision of guidance and technical recommendations.

Behavioral change and tourism-facing campaigns are essential to ensure mobilization and support consumers towards actions implemented at destination level. Engagement and effective communication to tourists is very important for both tourism companies and local authorities and other value chain stakeholders operating at a destination level and participating in development of action frameworks to tackle plastic pollution.

The One Planet Sustainable Lifestyles and Education (SLE) programme has been working for the past two years, to support the implementation of the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution 6 on ‘Marine plastic litter and microplastics’ by providing guidance on developing effective campaigns for influencing individual choice and to enable the transition to single-use plastics by exploring the use of nudging in theory and practice.

The following recommendations, which can support effective implementation of circular economy of plastics by tourism destinations and companies, have been developed by the programme:

• The publication Next Steps: Tackling Plastic Litter - A Nudging Strategy for Reducing Consumption of Single‑Use Disposable Cups
  • Draws on existing knowledge and experiences to suggest green nudges to reduce plastic pollution focusing on single-use plastics. The report provides a foundation for the application of behavioral science in policy making to reduce single-use plastics with a particular focus on single-use cups.
• WRAP publication on Exploring the Use of Green Nudges to reduce Consumption of Disposable Coffee Cups in Sweden provides insights on pilot implementation of these nudging recommendations.
• Ongoing pilot studies in collaboration between behavioral science experts, local government and café owners at the destination City of Gothenburg.