At the end of April, the reporter came to the regular press conference of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment as usual, but felt a little strange: the press conference, which has always been low-carbon and simple, this time a plastic information bag and two plastic pens were placed on each reporter's table. Soon after the press conference began, Zhang Zhifeng, deputy director of the Department of Marine Ecology and Environment of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, directly picked up the information bag and began to "endorse". These plastic products are the masterpieces of the new model of "Blue Cycle" marine plastic management in Taizhou, Zhejiang, which won the United Nations "Champions of the Earth" award.
The largest scale of ocean plastic recycling in the country
In 2022, Zhang Zhifeng showed off a mobile phone case made from recycled ocean plastic by related companies at a press conference. "Through two years of hard work, the 'Blue Cycle' has achieved an iterative upgrade from the sea to the shelf relying on technologies such as blockchain and the Internet of Things, allowing fishermen to pick up recycled waste plastics at sea and transform them into more high-value-added products, becoming a new quality productivity with synergy in pollution reduction and carbon reduction." Zhang Zhifeng said.
"This time I show you a list of 'shelf-like' products produced by relevant companies using recycled ocean plastics, including various ocean plastic particles, as well as beautiful stationery, daily necessities and fashion clothing, etc., and scanning the QR code can visually trace the source of marine plastic used in various products." Zhang Zhifeng introduced to the media at the meeting.
The reporter scanned the QR code on the data bag, and the mobile phone immediately appeared on the mobile phone The collection location, collection time, collector, recycling company, manufacturing enterprise and other information of this waste plastic, and distributed photos and videos, the "past and present" of recycling plastic is clear at a glance.
According to the data released by the United Nations Environment Programme, humans currently produce more than 430 million tons of plastic on average every year, and marine plastic accounts for at least 85% of the total marine litter, which not only harms biodiversity, but also affects the marine environment and the entire ecosystem.
Chen Yahong, co-founder and general manager of the marine business department of Zhejiang Lanjing Technology Co., Ltd., who participated in the initiation of the marine plastic waste treatment project "Blue Cycle", told reporters that in response to this problem, Lanjing Technology actively advocates the "Blue Cycle" marine plastic waste management model originated in Jiaojiang, Taizhou. So far, 146 companies and 12,000 ships have joined the action, benefiting more than 1,300 low-income people, collecting 12,073 tons of marine debris, and protecting about 4,300 square kilometers of sea area, making it the largest single project to recycle marine plastic waste in China.
The main garbage collection scope of the project is the beach 3 kilometers from the coastline, the uncontrolled and unsanitated islands and the fishing boats at sea, and the total amount of pollutants collected is controlled through the big data model of marine waste, artificial intelligence research and judgment, ship and crowd dynamics and operation methods. The marine plastic waste collected by coastal people and pollutant receiving ships is transported to the "Ocean Cloud Warehouse" for volume reduction, diversion, disposal and utilization.
Promote the sustainability of the industry with economy
Economy is the core of promoting the sustainable development of circular and low-carbon industries. The considerable market value of ocean plastic is a major factor in driving the sustainability of the "Blue Cycle" model.
Chen Yahong said that in the current context of environmental protection and sustainable development, the relevant plastics conventions and the EU's plastic tax and other policy measures require that recycled plastics must be added to new products to replace virgin plastics to achieve higher economic and social benefits. This requires manufacturers to provide relevant certifications when developing and applying plastic products. However, this process involves more cost inputs. "Based on these factors, the price of recycled plastics is generally higher than that of conventional recycled and virgin materials. For example, the sales price of recycled plastics that have obtained the GRS certification of EU recycled plastics is usually 1.2 to 1.4 times higher than that of virgin materials, especially in the field of marine recycling, due to the high dispersion of recycled materials and the difficulty of recycling, such as some beach recycling even need to be carried out by ships, resulting in high recycling costs. Currently, the price of plastic recycled in the ocean is about 1.4 to 1.8 times the price of new materials. Chen Yahong said.
The high-quality plastic recycled by the "Blue Cycle" can obtain GRS certification and be used as a low-carbon renewable raw material by plastic manufacturers, and its 'value' is high. According to Chen Yahong, this is equivalent to using the higher commercial value of back-end products to promote the income of front-end plastic recycling practitioners. Some migrant workers who pick up garbage along the coast of Taizhou can increase their income by more than 700 yuan per month, increasing their motivation to recycle marine garbage.
In Chen Yahong's view, the most important innovation model of the "blue cycle" is to link all parties through the platform, track and monitor the entire life cycle of plastic pollution through blockchain and Internet of Things technology, covering collection, recycling, remanufacturing, resale and other links, which can realize the full traceability of the entire ocean plastic from marine recycling to final recycling, so that each link can be more standardized, and achieve both economic and social benefits. "On the one hand, we will promote environmental protection and low-carbon green development, so that the marine ecology can be governed. On the other hand, promoting recycled plastic particles to obtain relevant recycled plastic certification is more conducive to entering the recycling application industry, so as to achieve a win-win situation for all parties. Chen Yahong said that through blockchain traceability technology, carbon labeling and carbon footprint calibration are carried out on the whole life cycle of marine plastics, breaking the green barriers of marine plastic certification in the international high-end market. In 2022, the "Blue Cycle" operation system was recognized by TÜV Rheinland, a globally trusted testing and certification service provider, and a strategic cooperation agreement was signed.
The scope of promotion will be further expanded
On October 30, 2023, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced in Nairobi that the "Blue Cycle" project, initiated and implemented by Blueview Technology and co-sponsored by Veolia Huafei, stood out from 2,500 projects around the world and won the 2023 United Nations Champions of the Earth Award – Business Insight Award. The award is one of the United Nations' highest environmental honours in recognition of outstanding contributions to the fight against plastic pollution. "Blue Circulation" is also the only Chinese project to win this award this year.
As a member of the "Blue Alliance", Veolia Huafei Polymer Technology (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd., located in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, has a marine plastic recycling certification issued by an international certification body. The marine debris collected by the "Blue Cycle" is transferred here to "give it a new life".
Furuyama, Senior Vice President of Veolia China's Solid Waste Recycling Business, said that Veolia has continued to pay attention to and support the sustainable development of China's oceans for many years, and is committed to providing high-quality recycled plastics that meet industry standards, promoting ecological transformation, and working together towards a sustainable future. To date, Veolia Huafei has processed about 6 million ocean plastic bottles through the Blue Cycle project.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) announced the 2024 "Beautiful China, I am an Actor" advanced model publicity list, and the "Blue Cycle" marine debris treatment project was shortlisted for the top ten public participation cases, once again becoming the focus of attention.
"The next step is to expand the outreach. At present, the 'blue cycle' has been promoted in 4 provinces and 8 cities. The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has proposed to extend the blue cycle model to 289 ports in nine provinces and two cities across the country by 2025. Chen Yahong said.
"We will also continue to support Zhejiang Province and Taizhou City to further deepen the pilot exploration and promotion and application of the 'blue cycle', and encourage and support other coastal cities across the country to jointly strengthen technological innovation and model innovation in the management and supervision of marine plastic waste, and work together to promote the synergy of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, so that the people can enjoy the blue sea and blue sky and clean beaches." Zhang Zhifeng said.
Author: Xu Yan
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