[Thinking on World Environment Day] What are the world's environmental

Hello!
This is Ann from LOVST TOKYO PR.

June 5th, when this article is distributed, is "World Environment Day." Recently, May 30th was "Zero Waste Day," and "World Ocean Day" is also coming up on June 8th.

So, this time, I decided to connect these events and focus on the "marine litter problem" that the entire world commonly faces through the ocean.

I hope this can be an opportunity to turn our attention to issues that we don't usually feel are close to us and think together about "what we can do now"!

■ The ever-increasing marine plastic

"A young monk seal on Laysan Island with a piece of plastic in its mouth" Photo credits: Matthew Chauvin

According to the report 'From Pollution to Solution' submitted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2022, approximately 11 million tons of plastic flow into the ocean every year.

This is such a huge and immense number that it's difficult to visualize, but it is estimated that by 2050, the amount of plastic in the ocean will exceed the amount of fish.

In addition, the amount of plastic flowing out from Japan is estimated by the Ministry of the Environment for FY2023 to be approximately 11,000 to 27,000 tons per year.

It can be said that Japan, with its culture of beautifully packaging many products in plastic, is one of the countries that discharges a large amount of plastic waste.

Many cases of seabirds and fish mistakenly ingesting plastic have also been reported, and the problem is constantly worsening.

■ How does it flow into the ocean?

"Polluted beach in Honduras" Photo Credits：The Ocean Cleanup

According to "The Ocean Cleanup," a Dutch non-profit organization that develops and implements waste collection technology to solve the problem of marine plastic pollution, less than 0.5% of the plastic we produce ends up in the ocean without proper processing.

Some may think, "0.5%, is that all?"

However, that 0.5% affects ecosystems and threatens our lives.

It goes without saying that 70-80% of marine litter is said to originate from cities, and the plastic we carelessly consume causes ocean pollution.

In addition, "ghost gear," such as fishing nets and lines left in the ocean after use, is also a major problem.

One reason why people who care about environmental issues choose plant-based diets is the environmental damage caused by fishing, which is related to these issues.

■ Impact of marine plastic

"Marine plastic and food chain connection" Photo Credits：The Ocean Cleanup
(Japanese translation: BIOACCUMULATION...Bioaccumulation
Birds & turtles feed at the surface of the patch...Birds and turtles feed at the surface of the area)

Beyond the damage to the health of marine life, the marine plastic problem actually has a negative impact on human health and livelihoods as well.

As shown in the illustration above, for people who eat seafood, it is not uncommon to ingest microplastics that small fish have eaten, which then circulate back to them.

Furthermore, the waste problem is particularly severe in areas where low-income populations live, and some people are forced to live in poor sanitary conditions because they cannot deal with accumulated waste.

Since the oceans are all connected, and waste generated in Japan can flow to other parts of the world, we cannot say that waste problems occurring in distant regions are "irrelevant to us."

■ What we can do

To solve such problems, individual actions are essential.

On a local level, it's important to start by using reusable bottles and bags, or visiting bulk-buy stores to reduce the amount of disposable plastic we use every day.

LOVST TOKYO is also promoting efforts to minimize waste in our packaging materials.

Specifically, to eliminate single-use packaging materials, we use cotton drawstring bags instead of plastic bags. We also adopted compostable packaging and bioplastic PP bags for shipping materials.

We will continue to explore the best packaging materials to meet the needs of our users who "want to enjoy fashion while being environmentally and animal-friendly." We hope you will enjoy shopping at LOVST TOKYO with peace of mind!

■ Donation Campaign also implemented

"Extraction of waste plastic using the ocean cleaning system" Photo Credits：The Ocean Cleanup

Furthermore, in honor of World Environment Day, we will be holding a "donation campaign" to take one step closer to solving these problems!

During the campaign period, 3% of sales will be donated to "The Ocean Cleanup," a Dutch non-profit organization that works to solve marine pollution problems worldwide, as mentioned in this article.

"The Ocean Cleanup" uses the latest technology to prevent plastic waste from flowing from rivers into the ocean and to collect waste at sea.

"Ocean waste collection in progress" Photo Credits：The Ocean Cleanup

I was so impressed by the activities of this organization, which is tackling the marine plastic problem on an unimaginably large scale, and I wanted to "help out in any way I can!" That's how this campaign came to be decided.

＜World Environmental Day Campaign＞

・Campaign Period
Thursday, June 5, 2025 – Sunday, June 15, 2025

・Overview
3% of online store sales will be donated to the non-profit organization "The Ocean Cleanup".

・How to participate:
Simply enjoy shopping at our online store during the campaign period, and a portion of your sales will be automatically donated.

During the campaign period, purchasing sustainable "apple leather" items will also contribute to solving the marine plastic problem, so we hope you will enjoy your shopping with an even more positive mindset!

【References】:World leaders set sights on plastic pollution
【References】:Ministry of the Environment announces estimated marine plastic litter outflow from Japan for FY2023
【References】:【Increasing marine litter】70-80% of marine litter comes from cities. Problems that cannot be solved by morals revealed by outflow cause research
【References】:Eliminate “ghost gear,” the cause of the serious marine plastic problem!