Simon Bernard answers the call of La Vanguardia from Guayaquil (Ecuador), a few days before starting the crossing of the Pacific. This 32-year-old French naval engineer and merchant marine officer is co-founder and president of Plastic Odyssey, an organization dedicated to fighting plastic pollution, one of the worst ecological disasters of our time.
The expedition led by Bernard began in October 2022 and will last three years. There are about twenty on board the ship, mostly francophones from three continents. The Plastic Odyssey – named after the project – is an old oceanographic exploration ship, 39 meters long, completely remodeled. They first traveled the Mediterranean (Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia) and then continued with stops in Senegal, Cape Verde, Brazil, French Guiana, several Caribbean islands, Colombia and Panama.
The idea came to Bernard in 2016 when he saw Hann beach, next to Dakar (Senegal), one of the most dramatic examples of uncontrolled plastic waste. The initiative counts among its sponsors a major French cosmetics firm and a bank, in addition to private donations. Plastic Odyssey needs two million euros a year to carry out its work.
Contrary to what it may seem, the aim of the expedition is not so much to clean the oceans of already accumulated plastic but to look for durable and cheap recycling solutions, as well as, above all, to raise awareness for minimal use of a material in the future so problematic "We need to concentrate on the land, which is where we will have the most impact - says Bernard-. The boat serves us to travel and reach places that are difficult to access, such as islands". The founder of oenagé also breaks with the myth that there is a septic continent, a gigantic island made up of plastic waste. "When you're at sea, you don't really realize the problem - he explains -. There is actually very little plastic floating on the surface. It is submerged or on the shores”. According to Bernard, it is unrealistic, technically and economically, to clean the oceans and filter the water from microplastics, but it is necessary to drastically slow down the discharges. It is estimated that about twenty tons of plastic end up in the seas every minute.
The Plastic Odyssey has a laboratory on board on low tech procedures (simple, cheap and patent-free technologies) for recycling. Already used plastic can be turned into cobblestones, roof tiles or a large number of practical objects. At each stop there are valuable exchanges with local businesses and recyclers. The expeditioners were particularly impressed by the experiences in Colombia.
– What is the main thing you have learned from this trip?
- We realize every day that what really works has not usually had visibility, it has remained off the radar and is not known. They are people who have gone crazy and don't receive subsidies. I was impressed by the ingenuity with which they manage to do things that work very well with few means.
– Any special discovery you want to mention?
– We see that countries in difficulty, those with fewer resources than France or Europe in general, are the ones who have invented more innovative and original systems, which consume less energy, are cheaper and work better. There is much to learn from deprived places, from poor countries. It is where there is more ingenuity and innovation.
- You are very young. He is 32 years old. I imagine it's a dream to be able to do this trip.
– Without a doubt, it is an incredible opportunity. It's exciting to meet people who are dedicated to an issue that is not necessarily sexy. We find ourselves in landfills, in factories that process waste. They are not places of easy access. At first they are reluctant. But the boat helps us. When they visit us they understand immediately. Then they welcome us with open arms.
The Plastic Odyssey still has a long route through Oceania, Asia and Africa until it returns to Marseille, the port of departure, in 2025. Before saying goodbye, Bernard emphasizes that there should be no mistaking his main mission: “Watch out!, recycling is not the solution for plastic, as the industry sometimes claims. We can't continue as if nothing happened. Recycling is a solution of the past, but not of the future. Our message is to reduce consumption as much as possible."
