About Us

The International Knowledge Hub Against Plastic Pollution - IKHAPP's mission is to collect, critically analyse and disseminate scientific knowledge to support effective policies and actions to fight plastic pollution globally.  Plastic pollution is one of the most important global challenges, negatively impacting biodiversity, quality of life and human health. IKHAPP comprises a community of scientists committed to work towards an environment free from plastic pollution.

IKHAPP's mission

IKHAPP’s mission is to collect, critically analyse and disseminate scientific knowledge to support effective policies and actions to fight plastic pollution globally. Plastic pollution is one of the most important global environmental challenges, negatively impacting biodiversity, ecosystem integrity as well as human health and well-being. IKHAPP comprises a community of concerned scientists in relevant scientific areas and discplines, committed to work towards an environment free from plastic pollution.

By providing a common platform, IKHAPP will give voice to this community. While neither the ultimate, nor a single solution to plastic pollution may exist, we assume science should be a major driver of policy making in this arena. The IKHAPP community assumes therefore a constructive role to inspire action and inform decisions through this knowledge hub.

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Who we are

We are an international community of scientists that work to understand the determinants, drivers and consequences of plastic pollution as well as the effectiveness of different measures to curb it.  We provide regular scientific assessments of determinants of plastic pollution in regional and global contexts, its current and future impacts, and solutions for pollution reduction.

IKHAPP is a part of ASAP – Asian Scientific Alliance for Plastic Pollution and Value Network Management. The project is financed by The Research Council of Norway (grant agreement no. 302575).

Why IKHAPP is important

Plastic pollution has recently entered the global environmental agenda as one of the big challenges confronting humanity. The problem is growing rapidly, and is linked to a range of different environmental issues, including habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, human health, food security, chemical pollution, flood prevention and climate mitigation. While plastic pollution is a global problem, drivers and consequences vary considerably from region to region or country to country. Technological, economic and social development are also important factors that influence the extent of plastic pollution, and identification of appropriate solutions. In order to fight the problem on a global level, local and regional insights are thus key.

Plastic pollution is a complex issue. We believe that it is possible to solve it, but there isn’t just ‘one’ solution. Similarly, a critical and precautional approach is crucial before undertaking costly and ineffective pollution prevention and remediation measures. There is an exponential increase in research and development effort on plastic pollution. Paradoxically, such a trend risks to make relevant knowledge and experiences dispersed. We, as a scientific community, need to make sure to build on each other’s strengths and combine our efforts to answer the societal demand for knowledge and effective solutions. We believe that by building a scientific community and drawing on shared knowledge and expertise, the international knowledge hub can contribute to inspire better decisions and actions around the world.

 

Our Approach

We aim to amplify dissemination of relevant and impacting scientific works and science-inspired actions on plastic pollution. By providing a common platform, IKHAPP will give voice to this community. While neither the ultimate, nor a single solution to plastic pollution may exist, we believe that science should be a major driver of policy-making in this area. The IKHAPP community therefore assume a constructive role to inspire action and inform decisions through this knowledge hub.

As scientists, we strive to deliver validated knowledge and provide encouraging examples of science-based solutions. IKHAPP provides a library of peer-reviewed information (e.g. status reports, newsletters) relevant for different regions and socioeconomic contexts, that will help decision-makers, stakeholders and organizations to get an overview of possible solutions and state of the art research. A key tool is the publishing of status reports, providing an overview of changes in plastic pollution pressure and impacts, as well as in policy, management and new scientific knowledge globally.