The Ocean Cleanup Gets Help in Cleaning the World’s Oceans

Dutch foundation The Ocean Cleanup has received a helping hand from AkzoNobel in its aim to completely remove plastic from the world’s oceans.

Under the agreement between the parties, AkzoNobel will provide advanced, biocide-free coatings technology for all the devices and equipment used by The Ocean Cleanup for the next five years.

The most high profile use of the company’s coatings will be on the specially designed floating clean-up system which will collect the waste plastic. These biocide-free Intersleek products are already being used to help make the shipping industry more sustainable by reducing fuel consumption, cutting emissions and lowering the costs of operation.

The cleaning of the oceans is due to begin in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the next 12 months, the foundation earlier informed.

Founded in 2013, The Ocean Cleanup aims to remove half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the space of just five years. It employs U-shaped screens to channel floating plastic to a central point. The concentrated plastic can then be extracted and shipped to shore for recycling into durable products.