Fund upstream research to cut plastic pollution at the source.
Plastic pollution doesn’t start with waste, it starts with overproduction. You can help us deliver research exposing plastic supply and pollution pathways, driving action where it matters most.
Plastic pollution doesn’t begin on our beaches and neither does the solution. It begins far upstream, with unchecked plastic production, toxic chemicals, and products designed for single use. By the time plastic washes ashore, or breaks up in our ocean, the damage is already underway, often invisible, cumulative, and difficult to reverse.
Today, microplastics are embedded throughout marine habitats and food webs, from kelp forests to coral reefs, and from plankton to whales. Toxic additives leach into seawater, weakening immune systems, disrupting reproduction, and threatening the survival of species already at risk. Because much of this harm is unseen, it is too easy for decision-makers to dismiss or defer without robust, independent evidence.
Your support can change this.
With your support, we will generate the rigorous, policy-relevant research needed to trace plastic from production to pollution, identifying exactly where it leaks into Australia’s environment, how it moves through ecosystems, and which sources create the greatest harm.
By exposing the most harmful plastic pollution pathways, including microplastics, synthetic fibres, and toxic chemical additives, together we will make the invisible visible.
When the evidence is clear, governments and regulators will be better equipped to act. Rather than relying on costly downstream clean-ups that can never keep pace, your support will help drive smarter product design, stronger upstream controls, and laws that prevent pollution before it reaches our ocean.
This research will also help strengthen state plastics bans, advance national packaging reform, and reinforce ambitious outcomes in the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations – ensuring domestic action aligns with international momentum.
In 2026 we are seeking to raise vital philanthropic investment to deliver this critical work. By partnering with us and donating TODAY you can be a catalyst for measurable impact, including:
- Comprehensive mapping of major plastic pollution pathways in Australian marine environments.
- Identification of high-risk polymers and toxic additives threatening marine life.
- Independent research strengthening the national evidence-base.
- Policy briefs and regulatory submissions informing stronger upstream controls.
- Direct engagement with decision-makers to translate science into action.
- Reduced plastic leakage into priority marine ecosystems over time, resulting in greater species protection, as prevention measures take effect.
Your support can help shift the national focus, from managing waste to preventing pollution at its source, protecting Australia’s marine life and ocean health for generations to come.
Explore how you can help enable this important work below.
All donations over $2 are 100% tax-deductible. The projects featured in the Funding Prospectus are priority campaign activities and needs for which we are urgently seeking funds – current at the time of posting or going to press. As time progresses, there may be some cases in which the project you have selected may already be fully funded. In that instance, we would be delighted to discuss where the need is greatest at the given time. All of our campaigns work in symbiotic support of our mission to protect our oceans. Please be assured your gift will go to work to be the voice for Australia’s oceans, working on the big issues that risk our ocean wildlife.
