Azimut-Benetti Group and Ogyre to tackle ocean cleanup together
Italian boat manufacturing firm Azimut-Benetti Group has teamed up with Ogyre – a platform dedicated to recovering plastic waste from the oceans in collaboration with those who live at sea daily.
The partnership, facilitated by Ogyre’s ‘Fishing for Litter’ initiative, aims to collect 18,000 pounds of plastic from the oceans in 2025. The organisation currently involves local fishing communities by providing them with equipment, support, training, and financial compensation. Utilising a blockchain-based platform, Ogyre ensures the collected waste is tracked and recycled, promoting transparency and accountability.
The current focus of the project spans Italy, Brazil, and Indonesia. Ogyre highlights these areas as ones seriously impacted by pollution. The entire Mediterranean region has been cited as vulnerable to plastic waste buildup. According to the WWF report “Out of the Plastic Trap: Saving the Mediterranean from Plastic Pollution” (2018), plastic makes up 95 per cent of waste present in the Mediterranean. Brazil and Indonesia face further challenges with highly contaminated rivers funnelling waste into the ocean.
As of the time of writing, Ogyre has collected 620.060 kilograms of marine litter, with an objective to reach one million kilograms by 2025. The Azimut-Benetti Group has been recognised as the first in the maritime sector to support the organisation’s work. According to a published statement, the growing awareness of plastic waste has ‘pushed the company to sign this partnership to contribute in a concrete way to the cleaning and protection of ocean ecosystems.’
Giovanna Vitelli, chair of Azimut-Benetti Group, comments: “For over twenty years, the Group’s commitment to greater environmental sustainability has been concrete, measurable and driven by the desire to adopt innovative solutions to make a difference “here and now”.
“Ogyre has chosen the same approach. Through this partnership, we can expand our contribution, extending it from the construction of low-emission yachts to the removal of plastic waste from the seas.”
In addition to the plastic collection initiative, the two partners will conduct a feasibility study to establish a marine waste collection hub in Tuscany. The proposed hub will be located between Livorno and Viareggio.
This hub will involve local fishing institutions and the community, promoting a culture of environmental respect and economic opportunities. The WWF report further notes that Tuscany’s coastline is particularly sensitive, as the currents fed by the Arno, Tiber, and Sarno rivers gather plastic waste.
“The partnership with the Azimut-Benetti Group allows us to expand our impact and demonstrate how the dialogue between technology, local communities and companies can really make a difference”, adds Antonio Augeri, co-founder and CEO of Ogyre.
This initiative from Ogyre aligns with and supports several of the UN’s sustainable development goals, including improving water quality, promoting sustainable water management, reducing climate change effects, protecting marine biodiversity, supporting local fishermen and demonstrating effective public-private partnerships.
Images courtesy of Ogyre.
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