This virtual exhibition is developed by Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology in the frame of Interreg Baltic Sea Region project “
Innitiatives to remove microplastic before it enters the sea – FanpLESStic-sea”.
All around us there are manmade materials that are very durable. Some of them we only use once, but even materials that we use for many years can lose small particles and become a source of microplastic pollution. City dust, which accounts for 24 percent of microplastics in the oceans, comes from a variety of sources.
Microplastic particles and fibres originate from the abrasion of objects such as synthetic soles of footwear, clothes, car tyres, infrastructure and insulation materials, artificial turfs, packaging and other plastic materials that we use in our households.
Microplastics have been found in the most remote areas of the Baltic Sea, as well as in drinking water, but the real extent and consequences of the problem are unknown. Recovering microplastics from the sea is extremely difficult and costly, if not impossible with existing technologies. Therefore, measures should be focused on mitigating sources and removing the microplastics before they enter the sea. There is currently a knowledge gap on actual removal technologies and policies to implement preventive measures or removal technologies.
FanpLESStic-sea – knowledge, technology and cost-effective methods
FanpLESStic-sea is a project, working with preventing and decreasing the pollution of microplastics in water and the Baltic Sea. The project will increase knowledge and understanding about dispersal pathways and sources through measurements in different flows in society, as well as cost-effective methods to reduce microplastics.
FanpLESStic-sea is supported by the EU Interreg program with project partners in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Together we are working for a better environment in the Baltic Sea.
Project goals:
1. Increased knowledge of where microplastics come from and their transport pathways.
2. Evaluation of technology that can reduce microplastic or reduce microplastic leakage before reaching watercourses.
3. Increased knowledge and commitment of decision makers through suggestions on how to implement cost-effective methods to reduce microplastics.
About the photographer
Reinis Hofmanis (1985) is an artist and a practicing photographer. He studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Germany and obtained a Master's degree in Visual Communication from the Latvian Academy of Arts. Since 2003 Reinis has participated in various group exhibitions and solo shows in Latvia and abroad. Hofmanis work can be described as a socio-anthropological view, where he tries to express his interest in different groups of society, by trying to categorize them, in relation to behavioral patterns and the environment created or influenced by these groups. Reinis won the Archifoto Prize in 2012 and was awarded 2nd place at the Sony World Photography Awards in Architecture in 2013. His works have been published in the New York Times, Financial Times, Spiegel, Esquire, Bloomberg, Le Monde, The Globe and Mail, The British Journal of Photography.
@reinis_hofmanis