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Ocean Cleanup 1 OCEAN CLEANUP Overview / summary of the initiative Title: The Ocean Cleanup Country: Many Thematic area: Climate Change Objective(s): The mission of the Ocean Cleanup is to use advanced technologies to to prevent, extract and intercept plastic pollution 1 and deploy a large scale cleanup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2020. Timeline: 2013 – 2020 (deployment in the Pacific garbage patch; further geographic scale-up is planned after 2020) Scale of the initiative (resource/budget indication): The Ocean Cleanup had raised 31.5 million USD since its establishment in 2013.2 Scope of the initiative • Focused on new knowledge creation (basic research, TRLs 1-4): • Focused on knowledge application (applied research, TRLs 5-9): The initiative covers both new knowledge creation (the development of a new method for large-scale pollution cleanup) and knowledge implementation (the testing, prototyping and deployment of that system). Source of funding (public/private/public-private): Public-private; The Ocean Cleanup is a foundation. Crowdfunding as well as donations have been used. The Dutch Government has also contributed. Granularity of the initiative (initiative, policy approach): Initiative Source (webpage): https://www.theoceancleanup.com/ Brief description of the initiative: The mission of the Ocean Cleanup is to use advanced technologies to to prevent, extract and intercept plastic pollution and deploy a large scale cleanup of the ocean gyres.3 The initiative is aimed at “environmentally friendly, large-scale and efficient removal of plastic pollution from aquatic ecosystems, while increasing awareness by simultaneously communicating this process intensively”. 4 It is focused on the large-scale extraction of plastics. By systematically eliminating technical risks through rapid iterations the initiative aims to begin the cleanup in 2018, and reach full-scale deployment in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2020. I: Background, origin, mission and ambition Ia: Origin The Ocean Cleanup is led by Boyan Slat who founded the initiative in 2013. In 2012, Slat gave a TED talk, which became viral in 2013 and allowed Slat to collect the first USD 90,000 using crowdfunding, recruit the initial team.5 Slat’s interest in the subject was inspired when he was scuba-diving at the age of 16 and discovered more plastic than fish.6 In 2014, the Ocean Cleanup published a feasibility study which concluded that the idea was feasible. Since then the system developed has been changed and deployment is expected in 2018. Ib: Initiator The Ocean Cleanup was founded by Boyan Slat. Ic: Mission and ambition The foundation used technology to to prevent, extract and intercept plastic pollution at a large scale. It aims to deploy 7 a large scale cleanup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by 2020. Id: Decision making process The organization is managed by a management team, with Boyan Slat acting as an Executive Director and leading the management team (CEO, COO, CFO). In addition, a second tier consisting of a Supervisory board (non-executive role) 8 has to approve major decision before their implementation. Ie: Linkage to other governance levels 1 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/foundation-details/ 2 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/press/the-ocean-cleanup-raises-217-million-usd-in-donations-to-start-pacific- cleanup-trials-1/ 3 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/foundation-details/ 4 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/foundation-details/ 5 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/ 6 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/how-it-all-began/ 7 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/foundation-details/ 8 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/foundation-details/ The Ocean Cleanup is one of many initiatives fighting plastic pollution of the oceans. However, the initiative claims to be the first feasible large scale clean-up solution. If: Geographical scope The initiative aims to combat global ocean plastic pollution. The initiative will firstly target the Pacific gyre. Ig: Time span The Ocean Cleanup was founded in 2013 and it aims to roll-out full deployment in the Pacific garbage patch by 2020.9 After 2020, deployment in the other four gyres. II: Formation IIa: Driving forces The driving factor behind the Ocean Cleanup foundation is addressing the global problem of plastic pollution in the ocean. The foundation claims that their idea and technology are the first feasible method to achieve the removal of plastics from ocean.10 The Ocean Cleanup is led by Boyan Slat who founded the initiative in 2013. In 2012, Slat gave a TED talk, which became viral in 2013 and allowed Slat to collect the first USD 90,000 using crowdfunding, recruit the initial team.11 Different corporates and individuals have contributed to the initiative with donations.12 IIb: Approach The approach of the initiative is bottom up and open. The idea started with an entrepreneur, who founded the non- for-profit foundation. The feasibility study developed in 2014, was also composed by a voluntary team. The non-for- profit also raised funds through crowdfunding campaigns13 – initial 90,000 USD was collected in 2012 and a full scale crowdfunding campaign was conducted in 2014 and raised $2.2m with the support of the support of 38,000 people. IIc: Citizen involvement Citizens are informed about the initiative via the public website, where information on the goals of the initiative, milestones, scientific publications are all published. The foundation also has a newsletter and is active in social media.14 Companies and individuals are urged to sponsor their own cleanup system as part of the large-scale roll-out of the cleanup.15. III: Technical and political feasibility IIIa: Technical feasibility assessment In 2014 the Ocean Clean up published a feasibility study with the conclusion that The Ocean Cleanup Array provides a feasible way to collect large amounts of plastic from big accumulation zones. The study covered a broad range of topics including engineering, oceanography and recycling, environmental effects and legal implications.16 It should be noted that the concept of the technology to be used by the Ocean Cleanup has changed since the feasibility study was conducted. Rather than mooring the system to the seabed, the current idea is to use a floating, drifting system.17 Since the first feasibility study, the new concepts and ideas have been tested in pilots. The largest pilot of the floating system was tested in August and September 2017 in the North Sea. Deployment of the system is expected to start in May 2018. To ensure that the system performs as modelled, it will be tested in early 2018.18 In the design and prototyping stages, the team uses a process of “ iterating, validating and learning through tests and pilots” as a risk mitigation measure.19 The technology currently developed will allow the team to gradually scale up, 20 deploy more systems, and to continuously improve the technology as well as monitor the environmental impact. IIIb: Ex ante technical and risk assessment The feasibility study published in June 2014, presents the first assessment of the idea to use passive systems to clean the ocean plastic pollution. It provided an outline of uncertainties, suggestion of future research to be conducted prior to full-scale execution. The study also provided an estimate of the costs to be incurred and comparison of the Ocean 21 Cleanup’s base price to alternative concepts. In addition, a study of the alternative cleaning systems has been made. IIIc: Success factors 9 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/ 10 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/about/ 11 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/ 12 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/press/the-ocean-cleanup-raises-217-million-usd-in-donations-to-start-pacific- cleanup-trials-1/ 13 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/ 14 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/faq/ 15 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/technology/ 16 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/feasibility-study/ 17 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/feasibility-study/ 18 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/milestones/preparations-for-the-cleanup/ 19 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/fileadmin/media-archive/Documents/TOC_2016_Annual_Report.pdf 20 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/technology/ 21 https://www.theoceancleanup.com/fileadmin/media-archive/Documents/TOC_Feasibility_study_lowres_V2_0.pdf The Ocean Cleanup is developing a new method for plastic collection from the ocean, therefore the technology offered and the innovative concept can be seen as the factor for success. Uncertainties and further research areas to be studied were identified in the feasibility study published in 2014. The gaps of the research and the full large scale deployment are to be covered with tests of the pilots. In 2017, the concept was tested in the North Sea. IIId: Incentives The main incentive for participation and contribution (donations) towards the project is the contribution it brings to the common good (clean oceans).22 The message and idea of the Ocean Cleanup is spread through the website, social media (facebook, twitter, TED talk, etc), and scientific publications. Crowdfunding has been used by the initiative as well as corporate and private contributions. IIIe: Political and societal assessment The Ocean Cleanup is not a political initiative and as such, no political assessment was made. The feasibility study performed did study some legal complexities relevant for the initiative though. IIIf: Interim political and societal assessment The Ocean Cleanup has raised awareness of the plastic pollution problem and its proposed solution through a number of communication channels (articles, website, annual statements, social media). The infinitive is financially supported through donations, thus depending on societal preferences and gaining legitimacy for its actions. One of the most generous partners of the Ocean Cleanup is the Dutch Government. 23 Still, as the Ocean Cleanup is a non-for-profit foundation with subsidiaries, it has not performed a political needs assessment. IIIg: Financial risk assessment The feasibility study did contain a chapter on the financial needs of the initiative and concluded that it is viable.
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