Having taken the learnings from System 002 and applying them to subsequent iterations of the technology, System 03, we will scale up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. With this blueprint for scale-up, we will look to deploy a fleet of systems into all the other four ocean gyres.

System 03 and Beyond
System 03 Transition Roadmap
System 03 Transition Roadmap

To effectively solve plastic pollution, we need to stop the inflow and clean up what is already out there. The plastic that circulates in the five gyres has been accumulating over the past 60+ years and will not go away by itself. Instead, the material breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces over time. At a certain level, these nano- and microparticles will become too small to collect. It is, therefore, crucial to begin cleaning up as soon as possible and defuse this ticking time bomb.

Macroplastic in ocean surface layer.
Macroplastic in ocean surface layer. To clean up the ocean we need to stop new plastic coming in and clean up what is already out there. Lebreton et al (2019).

Following our plan, we predict an eventual leveling off, and a plan to achieve a 90% reduction by 2040. It has also remained our goal to make something meaningful with the plastic caught from the ocean. Following mission one we created our first plastic product: The Ocean Cleanup sunglasses. Going forward, we’ll be working with partners to develop products with The Ocean Cleanup plastic. This will allow us to focus on our core mission of cleaning up, and it ensures quick scalability as we harvest exponentially more plastic the more ocean systems we deploy.

Your company can be a part of the biggest cleanup in history. Coldplay, Deloitte, and Maersk are just a few already partnering with us. Reach out via our website contact form to discuss a potential collaboration.