News 
Since its foundation in 1846, Ulysse Nardin has fostered close ties with the marine world and has been actively involved in its protection. Last May, the brand marketed the first Diver watch upcycled from fishing nets, symbolizing its commitment to protecting the Ocean.
Today, Ulysse Nardin is stepping up its support of Ocean conservation by teaming up with Plastic Odyssey, a project aiming to reduce plastic pollution in our Ocean.
The Plastic Odyssey ship, which left the port of Marseille on 1 October 2022 for a three-year journey, will travel 40,000 nautical miles and make 30 stopovers 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.
This long, round-the-world voyage will be manned by a full crew: seven deck crew members, seven technical and scientific experts, three media reporters and two external guests will embark together on the Plastic Odyssey adventure. At each of the 30 stopovers, they will take tangible actions for three weeks to roll out specific initiatives.
Thanks to the Plastic Odyssey Village – a travelling village designed to raise awareness – these guardians of the Ocean will meet the populations in order to alert them to the dangers of plastic pollution and to present alternative solutions.
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.
The Plastic Odyssey ship has been split into two parts. The front of the boat – the plastic-free zone – is dedicated to exhibiting alternative solutions to plastic, while the rear of the vessel is set aside for the recycling laboratory. One of the main missions of this laboratory will be to welcome a dozen local business figures for training on how to set up a plastic recycling centre using the machines on board the boat and the plastic waste collected on land.
To fight plastic pollution in these regions in the long term, Plastic Odyssey will provide entrepreneurs with a container housing a ready-to-use micro-factory that will allow them to recycle more than one tonne of plastic per year and develop a local recycling centre. Thus, this model has the advantage of being viable, sustainable while creating jobs.
Last but not least, Plastic Odyssey will be able to convert the non-recyclable waste into fuel for their continued journey around the globe by means of pyrolysis. This is a process by which plastic is heated without oxygen to break down the long (solid) polymer molecules and turn them into lighter molecules (liquids, then gases). One kilogramme of plastic can make up to one litre of fuel for a diesel engine.
October 20, 2022