In the presence of director Pierre de Parscau
On 1 October 2022, the Plastic Odyssey set sail from Marseille on a three-year voyage around the world, travelling along the coastlines most affected by plastic pollution. On board are young sailors, engineers and scientists who are devising practical and easy-to-implement solutions to transform plastic waste into a resource for local communities.
Having called at Senegal, Guinea and Lebanon, the ship is now heading for Latin America and Polynesia. We catch up with Simon Bernard and Alexandre Dechelotte, the founders of Plastic Odyssey, as they continue their adventures and meet local change-makers.
As they leave Latin America for Asia, the Plastic Odyssey team is tackling an unprecedented challenge in Polynesia: attempting to remove and recycle more than 10 tonnes of waste piled up on the shores of Henderson Atoll, a small island of 38 km² that holds the grim record for the highest density of plastic debris in the world. A ‘mission impossible’ to protect the natural environment, raise public awareness and enable the inhabitants of the Pitcairn Islands to transform this waste into building materials.
