The Great Pacific Garbage Patch poses a severe threat to marine life, ecosystems, and human health. Animals often mistake plastic for food, while ghost gear—making up 75% of the patch—cause deadly entanglements. As plastic floats at sea, it breaks down into microplastics that are impossible to remove and can enter the food chain through bioaccumulation, potentially contaminating seafood. Beyond ecological and health impacts, microplastics also disrupt oceanic carbon sequestration, with estimated annual losses ranging from 15 to 30 million metric tons of carbon.

The fundamental challenge of cleaning up the ocean garbage patches is that ocean plastic pollution is highly diluted, spanning millions of square kilometers. Therefore, we must target areas with high concentration of floating plastic where System 03 can make the largest impact.

We’re continually working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations in the GPGP. By actively tracking where plastic hotspots form, we can direct our vessels to these areas more efficiently. This means collecting more plastic and cutting costs—all while reducing our emissions. With advanced hotspot hunting, we can clean the entire patch cutting in a fraction of the time. 

A Net Environmental Benefit Assessment was carried by our Environmental and Social Affairs team to assess the impact of System 03 at sea while conducting cleanup operations. The groundbreaking findings from this collaborative research showed that the benefits of cleaning the GPGP outweighed potential environmental costs, including greenhouse gas emissions and ecosystem disruptions.

In short, current available knowledge shows that The Ocean Cleanup’s efforts in the GPGP deliver an environmental net benefit. The dangers of floating plastic extend far beyond visible pollution—they contribute to the breakdown into microplastics, which not only contaminate marine ecosystems but also hinder the ocean’s ability to absorb and export carbon. In fact, microplastics in the GPGP are projected to reduce annual carbon sequestration by a staggering 15 to 30 million metric tons. In contrast, the carbon footprint of The Ocean Cleanup’s operations is significantly smaller, estimated at just 0.4 to 2.9 million metric tons per year. This means that the environmental gains from removing plastic outweigh the emissions generated in the process.

To rid the world’s oceans of plastic, we must prevent its accumulation.

Our findings revealed that approximately 75% of the plastic we catch in the GPGP originates from fishing activities. This highlights the urgent need to address fishing-related waste. The Ocean Cleanup joined the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI), an alliance of organizations dedicated to solving the issue of abandoned, lost, and discarded fishing gear in the ocean.

To build supportive cases, and raise awareness, we need to research and learn the crisis. Our Research team has been closely monitoring the gyres, studying their dynamics to model and anticipate their behavior.