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Stopover in Brazil 🇧🇷

  • Stopover 8
  • Terminal Marítimo de Passageiros Nelcy da Silva Campos
  • From April 27 to May 24, 2023

Stopover 8

Recife, eighth stopover of the Plastic Odyssey

A giant country with a population of over 214 million, Brazil has been hit hard by plastic pollution. Here, it’s limitless.

After the coasts of the Mediterranean, West Africa and a Transatlantic crossing, this first stopover in the Southern Hemisphere, in a country ranked as the world’s fourth-largest producer of plastic, officially marked the start of the second phase of the Plastic Odyssey expedition: South America and Pacific Mission.

In the image of Brazil, in motion and colorful, the activities on board the ship were intense throughout the stay. Over 300 children from all walks of life came to visit the boat, the Treasure Trunks exhibition reached a new audience in the cultural space of Casa Zero in Recife, new molds (to manufacture recycled plastic tiles in the on-board recycling workshop) were designed in collaboration with a local manufacturer, and finally the discovery of the Madeira-Plastica (plastic-wood), an innovative material that promises to make great strides forward in the catalog of field initiatives encountered.

The new session of the OnBoard Laboratory, which welcomed a dozen Brazilian entrepreneurs and institutions, was a warm and dynamic one in terms of cooperation. It brought together a wide range of players in the recycling sector, proving that waste management remains a complex task in such a vast and densely populated territory, particularly in Brazil’s urban areas.

At first, the language barrier may have seemed like THE main obstacle to a successful stopover, but in the end it turned out to be the best asset. The invaluable help of the volunteers, coupled with the unrivalled hospitality of the Brazilians, enabled us to immerse ourselves and gain an in-depth understanding of the country and how it works, particularly in terms of waste management.

Key figures

5

Workshops organized

5 workshops per industry sector to study the recovery of their resources or the use of new products (Retail, Hospitality & Tourism, Construction, Maritime sector, Public & Institutional sector).

700

Exhibition visitors

700 exhibition visitors for “The Treasure Chests” at the cultural center of Mindelo: a first in terms of attendance!

25

Explorers on a deserted island

25 disembarked explorers on the deserted island of Santa Luzia to assess the extent of damage caused by plastic pollution in the sea on this crucial ecosystem for the reproduction of sea turtles.

What should we remember from this stopover?

Access to resources and high demand for construction materials present many opportunities for plastic recycling. The entrepreneurs, institutions, industries and associations welcomed on board during the OnBoard Laboratory showed a lot of optimism about the development of the sector and a real willingness to act together.

Regarding reduction, we were able to meet particularly inspiring initiative holders, manipulating weaving and crochet systems with virtuosity. These discoveries can now enrich the exhibition trunks, which were a great success during these 2 weeks at the cultural center of Mindelo.

The final step of the stopover before changing continent is to go to the deserted island of Santa Luzia where turtles come to lay their eggs. Uninhabited yet filled with waste from the sea, the need to preserve it is all the greater. Alongside the Biosfera association and SCE company, we went to document and collect the waste on the windward side of the island. A special experience that encourages us to persevere in the protection of the biodiversity of the archipelago and the beauty of its marine ecosystems.

Web serie – Episode 3

Discover the third episode of the Web series produced in partnership with Les Éclaireurs.

Director: Valentin Proult

About the Expedition

Plastic Odyssey, an ambassador vessel for the fight against plastic pollution in the oceans, sails around the world to discover, reference, and share concrete solutions. A three-year expedition across three continents in countries most affected by plastic pollution.

Carte de l'expédition de Plastic Odyssey

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Mindelo, Cape Verde

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French Guiana

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