More than 305 tonnes of plastic removed from oceans and rivers in just four months
ReSea Project is gaining momentum after its community-driven solution to tackle ocean plastic pollution was enrolled in Indonesia last year. The interest from companies to do more for the environment and be part of the efforts is growing, which the collection data for the first four months of 2021 clearly proofs.
ReSea Project’s collection data from January to April has now been validated bythe independent third-party DNV, and ReSea Project can now announce that as much as 305.239,62 kg (672,938.17 lbs) of plastic waste has been recovered from oceans and rivers. If it’s difficult to imagine how much plastic that really is, just imagine a pile of more than 15.2 million plastic bottles. The initial impact for 2021 comes after ReSea Project in February was just the second organization in the world to be certified after DNV’s standard for plastic reclaimed from oceans and rivers. To create a transparent and documented solution to enable companies to commit with confidence, ReSea Project has since the beginning of 2021 used a blockchain-based tracking system to document all steps in its cleanup process as part of the certification. This gives the highest level of traceability and provides proof of the origin of the plastic collected.
“In a time with increasing focus on reaching climate goals and fight the threats facing our oceans, we are proud of the development we’ve experienced in such short time at ReSea Project. Since we started to use the blockchain tracking system, we’ve felt the interest from companies has increased because of our ability to digitally trace and document our impact”, says Ann Sofie Gade, General Manager Operations.
Multiple benefits of community-driven solution
ReSea Project’s solution is scalable, and with the need for more hands to clean up oceans and rivers, almost 50 people have been employed in Indonesia so far in coastal and river areas affected by low-income and plastic waste mismanagement. With an average monthly wage per member of the cleanup team 75% higher than the minimum wage in Jakarta, the cleanup efforts are also improving living conditions for the cleanup team and their families.
“Solving the ocean plastic crisis requires a combination of multiple actions. One thing is that we are stopping the plastic that’s already out there harming our waters. But with our community-driven solution we are creating better living conditions for a lot of people. We support the circular economy, and with our presence we aspire to change the behavior and prevent plastic from being discarded in nature”, says Ann Sofie Gade.
Local acts – global effect
Indonesia remains one of the largest contributors to marine debris in the world.All though plastic pollution is a global problem that requires individual solutionsfrom country to country, the local cleanup effort in Indonesia is contributing to the global efforts against ocean plastic pollution that keeps being a threat against marine life, ecosystems, climate change, and society. “Our ambition is definitely to scale our operations in Indonesia further, and hopefully also other geographic locations with similar problems who will welcome our solution. Despite the cleanup, it also opens for new opportunities and collaborations with local partners, so that we can tackle plastic pollution from various angles. With the initial collection data for 2021, our whole team is without doubt even more motivated to continue the great work onwards”, says Ann Sofie Gade.
Learn more about the certified collection process
