They transform ocean waste into raw material for industry

Karina Godoy

Madrid (EFEverde).- “From the green decade of reforestation, which we must also continue, we are now entering the blue decade; we must invest in the ocean, which is the great forgotten and is our lungs.” This is how Estefanía Sales, from the strategic alliances department of Gravity Wave, a startup working on the collection and recycling of plastic from the Mediterranean Sea, described it on the occasion of World Ocean Day (June 8) and the start of the Nice summit on the marine environment.

This year, the United Nations established the theme: "Ocean Wonders: Sustaining What Sustains Us " and calls for a balanced approach, given that 90% of large marine fish species are depleted and 50% of coral reefs are destroyed.

Between 9 and 14 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually. Microplastics dominate the counts, according to the Nature study "Distribution of subsurface microplastics in the ocean."

The Mediterranean Sea, where Gravity Wave works, is one of the most polluted. The latest report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) details that approximately 229,000 tons of plastic are dumped each year. This is equivalent to more than 500 containers per day.

Work system

Sales explained that Gravity Wave operates in more than 75 ports in Spain, as well as in Greece, Italy, and Egypt. The latter two lead the ranking of countries with the most pollution in the Mediterranean, according to the UINC.

Collecting, recycling, and reusing these are the areas they focus on. “Our mission is to eliminate plastic from our seas and ports. We do this thanks to companies, which finance these tons of kilos on their behalf, and then we introduce these recovered plastics and fishing nets into their value chain, either through raw material products or through pellets for industrial use, as an alternative to virgin plastic,” Sales explained.

In Spain, they specialize in collecting fishing net waste, and in other countries, they carry out all types of collections, using boats and fishermen. The recovered materials are sent to Valencia, where they separate the waste for processing into new raw materials. The materials are used in areas ranging from sporting goods to construction.

"We've created everything from the entire reception area of ​​a hotel in Portugal to this year's Fitur stand, for hotels that won the award for best sustainable stand. Trophies, sculptures, street furniture, basketball hoops," he explained.

In the five years since its creation, they reported that they have managed to extract one million tons of waste. They work with 130 companies and have 7,000 allied fishermen.

Partnerships and SDG17

In partnership with companies and in line with SDG 17, they have implemented community initiatives. For every goal scored by a sports club, 1,000 kilos of plastic were collected. With a vehicle company, for every car of a certain model sold, they extracted one kilogram of plastic on behalf of the client, which was then transformed into street furniture, such as benches and waste bins installed in Mediterranean areas.

Under a supermarket brand, recycled basketball hoops were made from fishing nets and marine debris to be taken to children's sports areas.

35 Startups chosen

Gravity Wave has been selected among the 35 startups that stand out for their innovation and sustainability. The ranking was established by PATIO Campus, a networking organization for companies and startups, which recently presented its "The Next 35" report at South Summit.

This year's edition, titled 'The Next 35: Redefining Sustainable Leadership,' focuses on the major challenges of the present and future in terms of sustainability: energy transition, new materials, the circular economy, climate technologies, mobility, biodiversity, and sustainable finance, among others.

The selected startups could also be included in a stock market index like the IBEX 35. María Galdo, head of marketing at PATIO, pointed out that sustainability is now the fundamental challenge facing companies, so in their work to connect companies with startups, they sought out those with the most innovative proposals.

"Patio's goal is to bring together a corporation that has a problem and a startup that has a solution, and get them to develop a collaborative model," he explained.

280 startups were shortlisted, then 70, and finally 35 were selected, 51% of which were led by women.

They also created a top 10 that includes the following startups:

Captoplastic develops a technology to detect and eliminate microplastics sustainably.

Altrove manufactures fabrics using microorganisms such as bacteria and algae.

Pyratex produces and markets eco-friendly fabrics for the fashion industry.

Lumio offers a comprehensive renewable energy management and shared self-consumption platform.

Methanol Reformer designs hydrogen generators using methanol reforming, promoting decentralized energy.

Mitiga Solutions uses AI and supercomputing to anticipate climate risks such as fires or floods.

FOSSA Systems launches its own nanosatellites to provide IoT connectivity to remote sectors such as agriculture, mining, and energy.

Pack2Earth develops non-toxic compostable packaging that can decompose at room temperature.

EnergyX uses AI and data analytics to design energy-efficient buildings and facilitate ESG decisions.

Kreios Space is working on an electric propulsion system for satellites, using atmospheric oxygen to reduce space debris. EFEverde

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