Ocean plastic is by many accounts one of the most significant environmental challenges facing the world today. Plastics, much of it from consumer packaging, degrades into tiny particles that harm and kill marine animals — and at this level, plastics are virtually impossible to clean up.

Polystyrene foam is one of the greatest of ocean plastics scourges. It breaks down into tiny pieces that marine animals mistake for food, and it lasts — literally — forever. An astounding amount of ocean plastic debris is foam or plastic packaging.

Coffee giant Starbucks uses between 8 and 10 million single-use throwaway cups every day.

But there is no “away” — there’s only landfill, litter, incineration, ocean trash — or recycling. Ten years ago, Starbucks promised that by 2015, 100% of its cups would be reusable or recyclable, 25% of beverages would be served in reusable containers, and they’d have recycling capability in every store. It’s 2018 and the company’s nowhere close.

193 of the world’s 195 countries have agreed on a set of 17 goals that, taken together, imagine a world rid of poverty and hunger, and safe from the worst effects of climate change. These are the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a shared global vision that embraces government, civil, and corporate action. The goals are ambitious, but achievable if we all do our part.

As the cost of renewable energy drops and sales of electric cars grow, demand for fossil fuel diminishes, eating into oil company profits. But demand for plastics — especially single-use plastics — is expected to triple by 2050, and plastics are made from petroleum.