ZoneBitcoin EditorialPlastic has invaded our planet and become one of the greatest environmental threats of our time. Billions of tonnes of plastic waste are produced each year, with little recycling carried out. Plastic pollution affects our oceans, rivers and ecosystems, endangering marine life and overall human health.
Faced with this global crisis, many people, communities and governments are seeking sustainable solutions to address it. Technology has always been at the forefront of finding solutions, and blockchain has recently emerged as a powerful tool to combat plastic pollution.
In this article, we will highlight blockchain-based initiatives to combat plastic pollution
The scale and consequences of plastic pollution
Global production and consumption of plastic has grown exponentially in recent decades. Plastic pollution has devastating consequences for our environment and our health. Marine animals and birds are particularly affected, with millions of them dying each year from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic waste. Additionally, plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose, releasing harmful chemicals into the environment and breaking down into microplastics that can be ingested by living organisms, including humans. This plastic pollution has an impact on biodiversity, ecosystems and public health.
It is estimated that around 8,3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since mass plastic production began, of which only 9% has been recycled. The rest ends up in our oceans, landfills and natural ecosystems. If nothing is done, the COP 27 experts, it is predicted that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050.
However, recycling remains low, leading to a massive accumulation of plastic waste in our environment.
The harmful effects of plastic pollution affect all living beings in all ecosystems on the planet. This pollution is unavoidable and has repercussions on the health, livelihoods and sanitation of populations around the world.
Solving the plastic crisis, The World Bank
The limits of traditional solutions
Traditional solutions such as recycling and awareness are important but insufficient to solve the plastic crisis. Plastic recycling is often inefficient due to the complexity of the processes and high costs. Furthermore, awareness alone is not enough to change consumer behavior and reduce plastic production. It is therefore necessary to explore new innovative approaches to solve this problem.
The rise of blockchain in the fight against plastic pollution
Blockchain offers new possibilities to fight plastic pollution in a transparent, secure and efficient way. This technology makes it possible to monitor and verify the different stages of the plastic supply chain, from its production to its disposal. It also helps create incentives to encourage the collection and recycling of plastic waste, rewarding individuals and companies who engage in these actions.
Several organizations are already using blockchain to combat plastic pollution and promote a more sustainable circular economy. Here are some examples of blockchain-based initiatives:
1. Reward the collection and recycling of plastic waste
The organization Plastic Bank uses a blockchain-based platform to incentivize ocean plastic cleanup by rewarding individuals for their efforts.
Members can exchange collected plastics for life-changing income and benefits, such as access to insurance, social assistance and banking services. By encouraging the collection of plastic waste, this regenerative project not only helps keep waste out of the oceans, but also provides a source of income for people in need.
This can encourage more people to get involved in this cause, in a fair and just way. There are collection points in all regions of the world and this can create additional income for those who collect plastic.
2. Enable the traceability of plastic using blockchain
ReSea is a Danish association that uses blockchain to track and certify the removal of plastic from the ocean by documenting the plastic's journey from the point of collection to its disposal in the waste bank. Local collectors use their smartphones to enter data at each stage of the cleaning process into a secure blockchain system, ensuring data traceability by their DNV partner.
Since its launch, the ReSea association has removed more than 2 million kilograms of plastic from the ocean, the equivalent of more than 100 million plastic bottles!
Using NFTs to raise awareness about the climate crisis
The association Plastics aims to “connect people and businesses around the world to combat plastic pollution by supporting plastic recovery activities through technology and NFTs.” They operate an NFT marketplace whose sales support verifiable plastic recovery efforts in hard-to-reach areas.
Recently, they entered into a partnership with the famous football club FC Barcelona for a collaborative project of NFT, “Unleash Your Passion", a series of NFT trading cards, the proceeds of which support four plastic collection projects in Kenya, India and Chile. Holders of Plastiks NFTs are also entered into a lottery to win T-shirts signed by Barça football players.
Enable traceability of collected and recycled plastics
Circularise is a “leading blockchain platform that provides digital product ‘passports’ for end-to-end traceability and secure data exchange for industrial supply chains.” Their blockchain-based product ‘passport’ is used by plastics suppliers to collect and aggregate data into a chain, which can then be provided to customers, auditors and regulators.
By verifiably tracking information related to the production and consumption of plastics, it can help individuals and governments hold companies accountable, while allowing companies to use supply chain data to improve their sourcing decisions and reduce waste.
In the same vein, we can also cite the Circular association which specializes in the use of blockchain in the supply chain. We can follow the history of plastic used and recycled in several sectors of vehicle batteries or construction also has a branch dedicated to plastic recycling.
Turnkey blockchain solutions for businesses
empower is a large-scale Norwegian association which aims to be a real digital platform for companies that want to monitor and share the use of plastic in their products. Users can scan a QR-Code on the products and thus know the complete history of the plastic used.
Their “Plastic Credits” program allows organizations to fund plastic collection activities around the world, while generating income for marginalized communities. Through this program, local collectors clean up plastic and document it with photographic evidence that is stored on the blockchain, creating a “plastic credit.”
These collectors can then sell their plastic credits on the Empower portal, where they are verified and put on sale to buyers, with the proceeds going to the collectors, minus a small commission for the platform.
Final word
In conclusion, blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the fight against the plastic pollution crisis. Using the transparency, traceability, and economic incentive offered by blockchain, these organizations are working to create sustainable solutions to reduce the amount of plastic in our oceans and ecosystems.
By supporting these initiatives and encouraging the adoption of blockchain in the plastic waste management sector, we can hope for a cleaner and more sustainable future for our planet.
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