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Ulysse Nardin sets sail on a three-year Plastic Odyssey
By Tempus | 1 October 2022 | Culture
The watchmaker has teamed up with oceanic conservation project Plastic Odyssey for a once-in-a-lifetime expedition
Watchmaker Ulysse Nardin and oceanic conservation group Plastic Odyssey have today set sail on a monumental journey aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the Earth's oceans.
The Plastic Odyssey ship, which left the port of Marseille this morning, will travel 40,000 nautical miles and make 30 stopovers over three years in the countries most affected by plastic pollution. Plastic Odyssey will begin its mission in the coastal cities of the Mediterranean before setting sail for West Africa, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and, finally, East Africa.
Since its foundation in 1846, Ulysse Nardin has, as the brand puts it, "fostered close ties with the marine world" and has been "actively involved in its protection".
Its partnership with the Plastic Odyssey project is thus no surprise, with the watch brand's CEO Patrick Pruniaux saying of the collaboration: “Plastic Odyssey has examined and unlocked the issues related to plastic pollution in our Ocean. Their desire to share their inventions and knowledge freely with the entire world shows great generosity and a genuine desire to protect our planet.”
At each of the 30 stopovers, Plastic Odyssey will take tangible actions for three weeks to roll out specific initiatives, including setting up the Plastic Odyssey Village; a travelling village designed to raise awareness of the issues facing oceanic conservation.
Furthermore, through discussions with local inhabitants, Plastic Odyssey will launch the first global social sciences study to understand the habits and behaviors of different populations with regard to the use of plastic, which will foster the development of knowledge intended to equip the scientific and political communities.
Simon Bernard, CEO of Plastic Odyssey, added: “Today, although there is a system in place for recycling plastic, only a few manufacturers have access to the necessary knowledge and the solutions are not widely available or very affordable. Plastic Odyssey’s challenge is to identify simple and inexpensive innovations that can be introduced, enhanced and made freely available so that they can be developed and made accessible to as many people as possible.”