If you’re involved in eco-friendly activities and want to help rid the world’s oceans of as much plastic and garbage as possible, you probably already heard about The Ocean Cleanup initiative. Boyan Slat is the man behind this effort, a process he started back in 2013 and one that is now gaining more and more speed. His dream has been to rid the Pacific Ocean of the large amounts of plastic floating around and his initiative has become world famous, now getting support from BMW i as well.
Boyan’s operation aims at cleaning the so-called ‘plastic soup’ from the ocean during what the team calls ‘the largest cleanup in history’. The way they do it is by using a system made up of a 600-meter long tube that seemingly just floats on the water. However, below, there’s a tapered, three-meter long skirt which gathers the plastic altogether. The system is propelled by the ocean current and, according to the team, can allow us to clean fifty percent of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch every five years.
Since this initiative is aimed at making the world a better place, their mobility needs are now covered by BMW i. “At BMW i as an incubator for innovations we also keep pushing the boundaries of sustainability, even beyond the car”, says Dr. Robert Irlinger, head of BMW i. “We are delighted to support The Ocean Cleanup on their mission, because we share the same mindset.” The team now uses four BMW i3 models, one delivered in San Francisco, when the system invented by Boyan set off for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and three delivered at their HQ in Rotterdam.
The delivery of the vehicles to the Rotterdam office, builds on a longer cooperation that started in 2017 when three BMW i3’s were provided to the mobility mix for the event during which Slat and his team made the grand announcement to start the operation as soon as 2018. Since the i3 is up to 95% recyclable, this definitely seems like the right car for the job.
