First ATLANTIS workshop

On 24 March 2021 the first, virtual, ATLANTIS workshop was held. The workshop had almost 30 attendees and a very diverse speaker list from around the world.

After a general introduction into the project, life cycle assessment and the current framework for including plastic waste into life cycle impact assessment by Francesca Verones and John Woods, very interesting topical presentations about the data needed and available for macroplastic impacts and the movement of plastic particles were held by a number of experts from South Africa, Norway, the US and New Zealand.

The workshop showed that while a lot of inofrmation is available, there are still many gaps to be filled. Covergae of species that are entangled in pallstic waste is till scattered and incomplete. Also for the impact of invasive species that are rafting on marine debris, there are unknowns, such as how long they can survive on these rafts. Some manage to survive decades at sea!

The workshop showed that the project is definitely needed to help cover sustainability aspects related to plastic waste and that a lot of research is still needed.