With the world facing a mounting health and environmental emergency from plastic pollution, Swedish water tech and beverage innovator, Bluewater, is issuing an urgent call to action: if governments cannot or won’t lead, the people must.
Ahead of the UN Global Plastic Treaty negotiations in Geneva this August and the current 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France (June 9–13), Bluewater says the issue needs a powerful international coalition of citizens, scientists, health experts, NGOs, and responsible businesses to confront the plastic crisis head-on.
“Plastic pollution isn’t just a planetary threat – it’s a human health catastrophe,” said Bengt Rittri, founder and CEO of Bluewater. “We need bold, binding action to ban toxic plastic chemicals and end the era of fossil-fuel-based single-use plastic bottles. If governments fail to act, consumers must rise and lead.”
Over 600 billion single-use plastic bottles are produced annually, most ending up in landfills or the ocean. Now, groundbreaking research reveals that even so-called “biodegradable” plastics`’ are unsafe: a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that PLA microplastics can enter the metabolic system of gut bacteria, potentially triggering diseases like diabetes and inflammatory bowel syndrome.
“This isn’t a distant problem – it’s already in our bodies,” Rittri added. “We must mobilise together now or risk irreversible damage to human health and marine ecosystems.”
Bluewater welcomes the UN Ocean Conference’s theme – “Accelerating action and mobilising all actors” – and champions alternatives to single-use plastic bottles through cutting-edge water purification solutions for home, work, and play.