First results indicate that the majority (about 90%) of the plastic mass in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the top 5 m of the upper 2000 m of the water column we sampled; most debris is still found at the surface.

Footwear News’ Erin E. Clack writes that as 2020 kicks off, the movement to eliminate the use of plastic bags is getting a boost. A spate of new laws and ordinances in states, cities and towns across the U.S. will bring a ban on plastic bags at checkouts.

The World Economic Forum reports that tiny larval fish in the nursery waters off the coast of Hawaii have a new and plentiful source of food, which has no nutritional value, is high in toxins, and can take decades to break down.

Sourcing Journal’s Jasmin Malik Chua writes that Skechers announced that it has slashed the amount of plastic in its footwear packaging by 85 percent to just 10 percent of its foot forms since 2016—no small amount considering that it expects to ship more than 170 million pairs of shoes this year alone.

More than half of all textiles produced each year include plastic. Now the urgent search is on for a more sustainable way to clothe the world. Report by the Guardian’s Simon Usborne.