MARINE CHEMICAL POLLUTIONChemical pollution – of land, air, rivers, watersheds – has been a festering issue for decades, occasionally prompting resolute action. But only recently has the scale of chemical pollution become more apparent. Invisible Wave, part of the Back to Blue initiative between Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, brings the issue of marine chemical pollution to a wider audience that includes policymakers, governments, the chemicals industry itself, the broader business community, the finance sector, civil society and consumers.
The objective of The Invisible Wave is to raise the status of chemical pollution as a real priority for ocean health. The report, video, and other items below are only the beginning of the conversation. Ultimately, our aim is to have transformational impact on knowledge and awareness of marine chemical pollution.
Reading Time: 2mins
Plastic is a critical problem for the ocean. But it is not the only problem. The Invisible Wave, published in March 2022, sets out a case for chemical pollution in the ocean to be treated with the same gravity and the same urgency as plastic pollution. In many ways, they are two sides of the same coin.
Reading Time: 2mins
Based on a wide-ranging expert interview program and deep analysis of the scientific research, the white paper explains the past, present and possible futures of marine chemical pollution, focusing on all societal stakeholders – chemicals companies, industries reliant on chemicals, policy makers and consumers.
Duration: 4:23
An Economist Impact film highlights how chemicals, vital to modern life, are exerting a negative impact on our oceans and ourselves. Hear from experts about the deterioration of our marine environments, and the need to shift to safer, greener chemicals production – and more responsible useage and disposal.
Reading Time: 2mins
An infographic series, drawing from research in the white paper, visualises the causes of chemical pollution, its impacts, and the key steps needed to clean up the sector and, through innovation, to make chemicals an active contributor to a cleaner 21st century economy.
Reading Time: 3mins
Think you can live without man-made chemicals? Think again. According to the International Council of Chemical Associations, 95% of all manufactured goods rely on chemical ingredients or processes. Every time an object is made without chemicals, another 99 are made with chemicals.
Reading Time: 3mins
You can’t manage what you can’t measure. It’s a cliche often attributed to management expert Peter Drucker, but in the case of regulating marine chemical pollution, it appears to be true.
Reading Time: 10mins
Plastic treaty negotiators must carefully examine the role of chemicals in the transition to a circular plastics economy.
Reading Time: 3.5mins
Picture your ideal summer vacation. Sun, sand, sea and… pollution? Chances are you’ve seen plastic bottles on the beach. But have you thought about the chemicals that may be in the sea as you swim?
Reading Time: 1.5mins
Scientists suspect that the toll that chemicals exact on the marine environment and the wildlife that inhabits it is far higher than is currently known, to say nothing of its impact on humans.
Reading Time: 1.5mins
Most marine chemical pollution begins on land—about 80% versus 20% thought to originate at sea, according to The Invisible Wave—with freshwater environments such as rivers and lakes providing direct or indirect routes to the ocean.
Reading Time: 10mins
Treaty negotiators must consider the economic trade-offs required to support the transition to a circular plastics economy.
Reading Time: 8mins
Japan’s chemical industry has been shaped by a marine pollution tragedy. The lessons garnered from this transformed the nation’s view of environmental protection—but how much have they been truly absorbed?
Reading Time: 10mins
The UN Treaty on Plastic Pollution, which is currently being negotiated, must take a fresh look at the risks associated with the plastics industry. Finding creative financial solutions that balance both risk and impact will also be critical.
Reading Time: 8mins
Pollution damages the ocean’s health, but there is difficulty grasping its full environmental, economic and social impacts owing to a lack of data.
Parts of the ocean are being starved of oxygen by chemical pollution from land. These so-called “dead zones” not only decimate marine life, but are contributing to climate change.
Produced by Economist Films
videos
Duration: 2mins
Duration: 9mins
Duration: 8.5mins
A podcast series, led by Charles Goddard and Naka Kondo at Economist Impact, talks to leading experts around the world about the science of chemical pollution in the oceans - and the most promising pathways to tackle the scourge.
With less than ten years to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, there is a renewed urgency to examine global systems and balance human aspirations with the planet’s ability to sustain them. This is why Economist Impact has launched The Sustainability Project, a content platform and community hub combining insights, innovation and influence. Our aim is to convene and engage global stakeholders who have the power to bring real change.
Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative imagines an ocean in robust health, and with a vital economy. Year-round and at our flagship World Ocean Summit, we foster a global conversation on the greatest challenges facing the seas, inspiring bold thinking, new partnerships and the most effective action to build a sustainable ocean economy.
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Continue reading by downloading the full report: THE INVISIBLE WAVE: GETTING TO ZERO CHEMICAL POLLUTION IN THE OCEAN
World Ocean Summit & Expo
2025
UNOC
Slowing
the chemical tide: safeguarding human and ocean health amid
chemical pollution
Hazardous chemicals in plastics - the discussions at INC
Dead zones: how chemical pollution is suffocating
the sea
