Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they provide to organisations which seek to reduce plastic pollution in oceans.

The UK is committed to protecting the marine environment from all stressors and recognises the importance in involving all actors to tackle the urgent issue of plastic pollution of the ocean.

The Government has funded a package of over £100 million for research and innovation to tackle the issues that arise from plastic waste. This includes £60 million of funding through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, alongside a £150m investment from industry, towards the development of smart, sustainable plastic packaging, which will aim to make the UK a world-leader in sustainable packaging for consumer products.

In 2018, the UK launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance (CCOA) with its co-chair, Vanuatu, calling on Commonwealth countries to pledge action on plastic pollution. Alongside the CCOA, we have committed up to £70 million to tackle plastic pollution, which supports organisations and initiatives to tackle ocean plastic pollution globally.