“Five years ago you had to be a visionary to believe in us.” In Olympia, Plastic Odyssey is celebrating its first year of delivery.

“Plastic Odyssey” shines with its red initials on the pediment of the Olympia in Paris. This Monday, October 2nd, founders of the anti-plastic marine pollution organization Simon Bernard and Alexandre Deschellot shine on the stage of this iconic venue in front of hundreds of guests who have come to celebrate the first year of their campaign with them. “One year ago today, we opened our voyage at the docks of Marseille Moujem and today we are here to look back with you on its 365 days,” say the two sailors, dressed in elegant white shirts. Five years ago, you had to be a visionary to believe in us.”

Departing the city of Marseille on October 1 on its laboratory vessel, Plastic Odyssey has set itself the mission of traveling the world for three years with 30 stops, raising awareness of plastic pollution. “Every minute 19 tons of plastic waste are dumped into the ocean. If we do nothing, in 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea,” they say. On board their ship, these two thirty-somethings spend a year trying to convince local entrepreneurs to invest in recycling, offering concrete solutions to “turn off the land faucet” and thus eradicate the scourge plaguing the planet.

Empowerment of women

Surrounded by their crew, Simon and Alexander continue their retrospective back to their stops from Lebanon to Egypt through Morocco. “We were told that Lebanon would be the most difficult,” the two men assured in unison. Arriving at the apocalyptic site of the smoke-shrouded port of Beirut, “you could feel the economic bankruptcy.” However, it is here that the two believers regain hope, rediscovering the core meaning of their mission in connection with the Lebanese. There he met, in particular, Georges Bitar, a local entrepreneur who envisioned the Live Love Recycle app, taking trash to a recycling center. A campaign that was awarded the best economic innovation trophy this evening.

Because diving behind the scenes of the expedition, this wonderful evening not only aims to highlight the mission of the Plastic Odyssey, but also to honor the initiatives found in the cities that traveled during the award ceremony. Among the winners, Wafa Saber of Morocco-based Altecplast has committed to recycling plastics in Casablanca and for women. Indeed, the company works to liberate the latter, often stay-at-home mothers, by creating jobs and building a nursery. “I am honored to present you with this award as your company responds to causes close to my heart: fighting pollution, giving voice to marginalized women and creating jobs,” said Virginie Curtin, CEO of Clarins, Plastic Odyssey Story partner. holds the “female entrepreneur” trophy. “It’s a new adventure that starts thanks to you,” the founder of the project replies, his face emotional.

Images of the expedition

Other initiatives will be promoted throughout the evening leading up to the screening of the documentary Built inOn the initiative of Canal+ and broadcast on October 25. Indeed, Simon, Alexander and their team brought cameras aboard their boat for a year to document their epic journey. Images of their expedition appear on Olympia’s screen, along with images of the project’s origins. Because five years ago, things didn’t start out so well for the two sailors, going from frustration to frustration while overhauling their ship. “We were so happy to get this ship and so eager to go to sea on our mission, but the more we restored it, the more we discovered hidden defects that delayed our departure and required us to tap into our financial reserves. ,” recalled the founders of Plastic Odyssey, accompanied by Bob Wrino, the third founder to leave the adventure due to burnout.

Perseverance was recognized and applauded throughout the evening. Each colleague, with Clarins at the forefront, did not fail to emphasize the “audacity and unyielding will” of these two “young and creative” thought leaders. Among their fans are former Franco-Greek MEP Chrysoula Zakharopoulou, as well as sailor Clarice Cremer, a participant in the Vendée Globe 2024. “I had the opportunity to spend three months at sea not long ago. One day when I returned to the Atlantic I saw a shape in the distance and as I got closer to what I thought was a turtle I actually found myself as a canned creature. That was my first contact with civilization,” he recalls. Not so anecdotal story.