A year after its establishment, members of the Marine Litter Action Network (MLAN) met again in London, UK, on June 8 to reflect on what the network had achieved during its first year, and discuss the way forward.

The anniversary event was an opportunity for Project AWARE and all participating members to catch up on various initiatives that emerged from working together as a network, as well as share the results of ongoing campaigns.

Following its launch on 3rd June 2014 at an interactive conference event in Birmingham, UK, four MLAN technical workshops focusing on specific areas of marine litter were formed. A year on, we joined the drivers of these workshops to review the progress made and take forward solutions and actions. To name just a few, projects and campaigns presented ranged from creating boardshorts using marine rubbish to launching the Global Ghost Gear Initiative; from campaigning to win the war on microplastics in personal care products to shining a light on the underwater perspective of the marine debris problem through Dive Against Debris.

“It was inspiring to see what can be achieved in one year when people with the same vision for a clean ocean share knowledge and expertise.” Commented Louise Kraechter, Project AWARE Campaign Coordinator.

Project AWARE shared with the enthusiastic group of delegates attending the anniversary event, the new Ugly Journey of Our Trash video. Released on World Oceans Day, this animated video sheds light on how litter travels from land to sea, endangering marine ecosystems and wildlife along the way. In addition to showing how divers can help, the video highlights the overall complexity of the marine debris problem and the challenges involved in tackling the problem at source.

MLAN was established in June 2014 as a “One Year to Make a Difference” initiative led by the Marine Conservation Society to bring together people and their organisations, from across different sectors, to tackle the issue of marine litter. Through its members, including Project AWARE, MLAN has a reach of over 1.7 million individuals, 38,000 volunteers and over 11,000 companies, groups and organizations who all share the same focus: ending the Ugly Journey of Our Trash.

A survey completed by members of the MLAN prior to the anniversary event made it clear that the desire to keep the MLAN going past its first year was unanimous. During the event, Project AWARE reinforced its ongoing commitment to developing solutions through successful partnerships against trash with individuals, governments, NGOs and businesses. The progress made over the past year truly shows that together we’re stronger. Join us in the fight against marine debris: Dive Against Debris.