How Some Businesses Are Transforming Ocean Waste

The amount of plastic and non-biodegradable waste has been steadily increasing since the widespread adoption of plastic in the consumer products market just a few decades ago. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch has become a household name and serves as a huge (in the literal sense) example of human-made plastic waste that now plagues our society and stifles our future. According to a report made by the World Economic Forum in 2016, a full garbage truckload of plastic waste is washed into the ocean every minute. As organizations and campaigns set out to clean up this plastic waste from the ocean – the world is left with a pressing question, what do we do with the waste once we remove it from the ocean? Some businesses across the globe have created innovative business solutions to respond to this daunting question. 

An architecture firm based in Norway named Snohetta started the research project “Plast” aimed at finding commercial and artistic solutions to recycled plastics. In their business model, local fishing companies supply worn-out and used fishing nets, ropes, and pipes all made of plastic which Snohetta turns into durable furniture items. Recently, they started production of a famous nordic style chair from the 1960’s called the R-48, which Snohetta now has rebranded as the S-1500. 

Large firms like HP, Dell, and the bicycle manufacturer Trek, have partnered with the non-profit NextWave to substitute production components in their supply chain and production process with recycled materials. Dell now collects plastic bottles in Indonesia that they turn into packaging for their electronics. HP has started using recycled plastic to create their ink cartridges in addition to using recycled plastics and materials in some hardware parts. Trek now makes their water bottle holders out of recycled fishing nets. Many companies use fishing gear collected from the ocean because of the sheer scale of the fishing gear waste dumped into the ocean each year. A study conducted by the non-profit Ocean Cleanup found that almost 50% of the mass in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch comes from discarded fishing gear. 

Other companies have started turning used plastic into consumer products such as rugs, bags, and tablecloths. Many large scale companies are trying to create what is known as a “circular economy” where production inputs are made of renewable or recycled materials. All of the business ventures outlined above highlight some important developments in recent years in the push for a less wasteful and more sustainable economy.

*This article was summarized from this New York Times publication.

Warm regards,

Justin Flesher

BVC Vice Chair, BMUN LXX