Plastic post-Nairobi needs IUPAC involvement

Abstract

Abstract Soon after plastic became an important commercial product, plastic pollution became a major concern. Despite political focus and implementation of measures to stop the development, litter from plastic products continued to grow and reached an alarming level already some years ago. In many countries the plastic bag became the symbol for plastic garbage, and in Norway that proved to be a very appropriate pick when a sick goose-beaked whale stranded and appeared to have 30 plastic bags and other pieces of plastic in its stomach (Figure 1) [2, 3]. This incident engaged the public in many countries, which quickly organized dugnads to collect plastic rubbish from everywhere—parks, forests and coastlines.