Participation Report by Dr. M. Marsaline BENO

Event Title: UNOC3 – New Ways to Effectively Scale Plastic Recycling
Theme: Societal Change for the Collection of Plastic Can Create Significant Impacts
In support of the SDG14, Target#1, #ReduceMarinePollution

Official Virtual Side Event ID: #V66
The theme of the Third United Nations Ocean Conference:
Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean
Date & Time:June 13, 2025 | 7:00 a.m. EST | 1:00 p.m. CET

Location: Virtual + #UNOC3 Blue Zone, Delegates Lodge, Nice, France.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
[LMGlobal.Org] The official virtual side event #V66 at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), titled “New Ways to Effectively Scale Plastic Recycling – Societal Change for the Collection of Plastic Can Create Significant Impacts”, was fully and successfully delivered on June 13, 2025, as part of the Third #UNOC3, which was held in Nice, France from June 9 to 13.

This event was organized and hosted by
The Light Millennium Global Organization (LMGlobal.Org), New York, USA.
Partnering Organizations:
• Permanent Mission of the Bahamas to the United Nations
• Permanent Mission of Kiribati to the United Nations
• Ocean Recovery Alliance (USA / Hong Kong)

Bircan Ünver of LMGlobal.Org delivered the welcoming remarks of the virtual session and introduced the concept. As part of the concluding remarks of the session, she announced a five-year commitment in support of the #SDG14 Target-1 for #ReduceMarinePollution and the #OceanActionDecade.

CONCEPT:
Today’s mismanaged plastic waste is over 18 million tons/year, much of which impacts over two billion people a day with poor water quality, health issues, ecosystem, tourism, ocean impacts, fishing, and agriculture, among others.  At the same time, the wide range of communities and countries that are most impacted by plastic pollution, which they either create due to a lack of infrastructure and resources or which their neighbors create, do not have many choices for improved collection and recycling.  Their waste adds a higher per-capita impact to the environment than does plastic in big cities, which often gets collected, but at the same time, societal improvements and program changes that need not cost a lot and bring trust to communities mean that positive impacts are higher per-capita than those in larger communities.  Recycling is not broken, but it has not been correctly implemented.   Learn from our expert panel on how communities around the world can be part of reducing plastic pollution at scale, with the ocean and our waters as one of the main end beneficiaries. 

Booklet of the #UNOC3 / #V66 Side Event

Event Outreach and Visibility:
The event was:
• Featured on LMGlobal.Org website and in Newsletters #24, 25, and 26
🔗 Newsletter Link
• Listed in the UN Department of Global Communications (DGC) Bi-Weekly Announcements (June 2, 2025)
🔗 UN DGC Civil Society Announcements
• Shared widely through Turkish Forum and social media platforms.
• Featured in a GoodNewsBroadcast interview with Bircan Ünver
🔗 Watch the Interview

Core Themes and Highlights:
The session explored systemic solutions to plastic pollution, including:
• Incentive-based collection models like Harvest Plastic
• Micro-recycling infrastructure (OPT pods) for remote communities
• Plastic credit marketplace proposals for financializing plastic recovery
• Marine monitoring technologies and circular economy frameworks
• Policy innovation for global treaty development

Key Presentations and Summaries:
Detailed speech, initiative summaries and recommendations by:
Ocean Recovery Alliance, Bahamas, Kiribati, South Africa, Plastic For Change, India & China.
Summary of the #UNOC3 NEW WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY SCALE PLASTIC RECYCLING
 – Societal Change for the Collection of Plastic Can Create Significant Impacts Side Event #V66

Closing Commitments:
The session ended with the joint commitment of:
• LMGlobal.Org,
• Ocean Recovery Alliance, and
• Permanent Mission of Kiribati through continuing working towards
• #OceanAwareness
• #PlasticsForCircularEconomy
• #StopPlasticPollution
• #PlasticIsAnAsset
• #RespectToOcean
• #OceanForLife

Additionally, a 5-year pledge was made to conduct annual sessions around World Ocean Day to advance marine sustainability, scale plastic recycling, and reinforce community-based environmental action.

Connection to the SDGs:
This session contributed meaningfully to the implementation of:
• SDG 14 – Life Below Water
• SDG 15 – Life on Land
• SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
It was also featured in the E-Issue of June 23, 2025, as part of UN Ocean and Water Action Webinars, hosted on www.lmglobal.org.

Institutional Representation at the Conference:
The Light Millennium was represented by two official delegates:
• Ms. Bircan Ünver, Head Delegate, Founder-President of LMGlobal.Org
• Dr. Marsaline Beno, Delegate, who also provided technical and logistical support on-site.
Remote technical assistance was also provided by Ms. Vrushali Gaikwad, Board Member, LMGlobal.Org.

Institutional Relevance and Recommendations:
As a delegate through Institution of Green Engineers (IGEN), Dr. Marsaline Beno recommends the following actionable steps based on his participation:
• Student and Faculty Awareness Drives focused on reimagining plastic as a circular asset.
• Research Projects on blockchain-based plastic traceability and plastic credits.
• Institutional Waste Management Plan inspired by the Blue Cycle and Harvest Plastic models.
• Global Collaborations with LMGlobal.Org and similar partners for student exchange and joint research.
• Proposal Development for participating in UN-linked plastic recycling pilots.

Conclusion:
This #UNOC3 side event showcased a scalable and visionary approach to plastic recycling, demonstrating how technological innovation, community involvement, and global cooperation can create real change. The presence and contributions of Indian institutions and delegates such as Dr. Marsaline Beno signify the vital role that academic and grassroots actors can play in building a plastic-responsible, ocean-respecting future.

Registration and Participation:
• Prior to the event, 122 participants registered, later rising to 142 registrants.
• However, time zone differences ranging from 6 to 12 hours created some confusion, resulting in several attendees attempting to join hours before or after the event.
• Despite these challenges, the event was successfully delivered live from the Blue Zone’s Delegates Lodge at the UNOC3 venue in Nice.

Immediate Release – Dated: May 19, 2025 |