Today it is no longer possible to walk on a beach without coming across bags, plastic bottles or food containers. This waste belongs to the category of single-use plastics. 

Plastic is the leading cause of marine pollution. Often discarded or abandoned in the wild, most of it ends up in our oceans and, according to LEMA investigations, accounts for two thirds of the floating marine litter (FML) collected. 

The process of breaking down plastic in the ocean actually leaves behind tiny particles called microplastics. 

These microplastics endanger marine fauna. Their absorption by fish, marine mammals but also seabirds is harmful to their organisms and threatens to contaminate the entire food chain.

The LIFE LEMA project is committed, in collaboration with other entities, to preserving underwater life by encouraging the search for common solutions for the management of microplastics in cross-border waters.