That was the overriding message from each of the five skippers of the IMOCA crews competing in The Ocean Race.

Their comments came after I asked them to outline the severity of the plastic waste issue from what they are seeing during their epic voyage round the world.

"There are microplastics everywhere in the ocean even in the most far remote areas," said Holcim-PRB skipper Ben Schwartz.

French sailor Benjamin Dutreux, captain of Guyot environment - Team Europe, added: "When you are travelling on the ocean it is easy to become concerned.

"But when you are living in the centre of France then it’s really hard to understand that your action at home and work has a consequence for the ocean."

According to research carried out during The Ocean Race, microplastics were found in every sample of water collected by teams, with as many as 1,884 particles per cubic metre.

The shocking figures from this edition, which started in Alicante in Spain on January 15 and is due to finish in Genova in Italy at the end of June, are up to 18 times higher than the previous event in 2018.

Measurements were highest closest to urban areas which are known as "garbage patches" where ocean circulation leads particles to accumulate.

Even in the planet’s most isolated location, called Point Nemo, which is 2,688 kilometres from the closest coastline, microplastics were found.

While microplastics might be difficult to see by the naked eye, they can harm marine life and can be consumed by humans when eating seafood and drinking water.

Two-time Olympian Francesca Clapcich said competitors in The Ocean Race saw themselves as ambassadors for the ocean as well as sailors.

"We are so far away from home that no one else is able to witness what we are seeing so it is about bringing that back to shore and telling people what is the real deal," said the Italian of the 11th Hour Racing Team.

"We have found microplastics 2,000km from any other human being and you are thinking how has this got here?

"This comes from people walking around like us and dropping things.

"It then goes into the water and currents move them everywhere in the planet."

When I made my trip to the Danish city of Aarhus for the latest stopover in The Ocean Race, I was looking forward to reporting on what is widely considered to be the longest and toughest professional sporting event in the world.

But this was more than just a 60,000km-race between five IMOCA crews - it was a lesson in preserving the ocean and the environment.

Between the boats arriving on May 29 and departing on June 8, organisers used the stopover as an opportunity to showcase sustainable solutions including waste separation, renewable energy and reducing plastic waste.

Aarhus established "Sustainability Island" as part of the Ocean Live Park where exhibitors and entrepreneurs demonstrated ways to create a more sustainable world.

Around 1,000 students visited the venue each day on school days where they got involved in a wide range of workshops such as waste and food sorting, safety at sea and building mini boats.

"I really hope that they have inspired each other to change," said Rasmus Hørsted Jensen, sustainability manager at The Ocean Race in Aarhus and co-founder of WorldPerfect.

"We think we have a relationship with the ocean but I think we lost it at some point.

"I like The Ocean Race as a global entity to find a way to get a new relationship with the ocean because then you want to protect it.

"I think Denmark is getting there but I think we are quite poor.

"Denmark is one of the countries which still doesn’t have enough green protected areas."

There was good news last week when Danish Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen announced a proposal for a new law on nature and biodiversity at The Ocean Race Summit with the aim of protecting 20 per cent of the ocean, ensuring that those areas are "essentially undisturbed from human presence".

But other countries must follow suit with World Sailing calling on people to support a "Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights".

The time for talking about sustainability is over and there is need for sporting events to lead by example in influencing behavioural changes like The Ocean Race is doing.

The Association of National Olympic Committees made a step in the right direction last year when it announced that it had agreed a partnership with The Toolbox.

Created by 11th Hour Racing Team, the Toolbox gives organisations guides, case studies, trackers and templates to put in place an in-house sustainability programme.

"It’s a great place to start," said Todd McGuire, managing director of the 11th Hour Racing Team.

"Is it enough?

"Not necessarily and that’s where sports come in.

"When sporting events come to a country, they bring economical value so they can put pressure on the region to act."

McGuire stressed that sustainability goals must be embedded into Host City Contracts to ensure that organisers deliver on their word.

"[In The Ocean] there were guidelines that you have to follow and I think that is the best practice for all sports going forward," added McGuire.

"You need to put your minimum requirements as you would do for marketing, communications and payment milestones and that’s your assurance."

Amy Munro, sustainability officer for the 11th Hour Racing Team, insisted that it was important that people within different sports and event organisers try to put sustainability at the heart of every decision.

"Everything we do we need to think how do we justify this decision?" said Munro.

"Is building a new boat the right decision?

"It’s easier to be on the outside throwing stones and not making much change but if we can work from inside the industry and as we engage with around 50 different suppliers, they are always very open for us to talk about how they are going to improve their sustainability management.

"We are a relatively small team, but we have this disproportionate ability to influence supply chains.

"We need to take the platform and the responsibility very seriously when we have got it and I think all sports should do the same."

As with any sport, athletes and teams will push boundaries in a bid for success but Munro insists sustainability can continue to play a central role in their ambitions, as long as rules are put in place.

"Performance versus sustainability is a battle that we have always seen but when you put sustainability into the rules then it becomes sustainable performance so you kind of marry them," added Munro.

"For example, with the IMOCA one the new rules that they are looking at putting in is a carbon cap so now we have to be really detailed on what the footprint is for the IMOCA.

"They will say we cannot go above that and then every year they will bring it down and then designers will just need to innovate within those boundaries much like they innovate with the other rules that there are around building IMOCA which I think is quite exciting.

"I don’t think it is about awareness-raising, it’s about leading by example through action."

Sailing is setting the course for sustainability in sport and other sports must follow that lead to avoid causing more harm to our ocean.