Blue prosperity with plastic-free coastline

Plastic Island is the unfortunate nickname a small island in Norway called Lisle Lyngoy had earned, thanks to half a century of undisturbed accumulation of marine waste on its shores and in its surrounding waters.

- May-Elin Stener

Then, in August 2021, a surface cleanup of plastic and other waste was initiated, with a followup cleaning exercise in April 2022. The result? A significant drop in the volume of microplastics in the fresh water and ocean in the beach zone as early as the following year.

I cite this as an inspiring example of what happens when intention meets action. That is exactly what the India-Norway Marine Pollution and Plastic Waste Forum 2025, which Norway is currently hosting in Mumbai, aims to do. It has brought together Indian and Norwegian government officials, scientists, businesses, civil society and youth, not to discuss abstract goals, but to take stock of what is working, identify what can be scaled up and forge new collaborations for a tangible impact. The Forum charts progress from grassroots behavioural change and circular models to business innovations and science-policy integration - all through the lens of Indo-Norwegian collaboration.