The Ocean Race and sustainable materials pioneer Archwey partner to tackle marine plastic
5 December 2022
SINGAPORE, 5th December 2022.
Sailing’s ultimate test of skill and endurance is now a race to save the world’s oceans. Sustainable materials pioneer Archwey is partnering with The Ocean Race 2022-23, to raise awareness and inspire action to end ocean plastic pollution. Every day, 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into the ocean. This partnership is heading the race to end that.
The race to rid the world of fossil-fuel based virgin plastics thanks to sustainable alternative materials
As Official Plastic-Free Ocean Partner of The Ocean Race, Archwey will partake in key elements of The Ocean Race’s award-winning sustainability programme, which was developed with Founding Partner 11th Hour Racing and is dedicated to restoring ocean health. Archwey’s mission is simple: to rid the world of virgin plastic by developing sustainable alternative materials. Its GRS-certified plastic material BLUEWAVE® is a thermoplastic material derived from marine plastics, ocean-bound plastics, post-consumer waste and post-industrial waste. Collected at riverbanks and coastal areas it gives new life to plastic waste that would otherwise end up in our oceans. 100% recycled and recyclable, BLUEWAVE® can be used to make everything from coat hangers to pill bottles to furniture.
“We know how to win,,” says Archwey CEO Sjoerd Fauser. “By removing ocean-bound plastic waste from our rivers and coasts, and using waste as the building blocks for a fully recycled and recyclable alternative BLUEWAVE®, we can both stop the use of virgin plastic and clean up the oceans. This is Archwey’s definition of circularity.” In the last 18 months, Archwey has cleared and recycled 32,500 tonnes of plastic waste.
“With over 14 million tonnes of plastic waste dumped in the ocean every year, there’s not a minute to lose in the race to save our seas,” says Fauser. “The Ocean Race shares our commitment to sustainability and restoring the health of the oceans. We are thrilled to be partnering with them.”
Commitment to preserving ocean health
The Ocean Race is the toughest team test in sport. For 50 years, it has pitted the world’s greatest sailors against each other in a race around the world. The Ocean Race’s commitment to sporting brilliance is matched by its commitment to preserving ocean health. The partnership with Archwey unites two organisations with a common goal. Archwey will collaborate on key elements of The Ocean Race’s work, including The Ocean Race Summits. Held across the world, these events bring together decision-makers and ocean advocates to drive progress on issues affecting marine life and find new ways to safeguard the ocean’s future. Archwey and The Ocean Race will also work together to highlight The Ocean Race’s One Blue Voice campaign, which has the ambitious goal of securing a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights by 2030.
“Single-use plastic is having a devastating impact on the ocean,” says Richard Brisius, Race Chairman of The Ocean Race. “Breaking the world’s dependency on this material can only happen through innovation and collaboration, which is why we’re delighted to partner with Archwey, a company leading the way in creating alternatives to virgin plastic and pushing for a circular economy. Together we can race towards making our shared vision of a healthy ocean a reality, even faster.”
The Ocean Race 2022-23 begins on 8th of January 2023 with the Alicante In Port Race, ahead of Leg One, from Alicante to Cabo Verde, starting on 15th January. But the race to save the ocean has already begun.
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About The Ocean Race
Since 1973, winning the Ocean Race (formerly Whitbread Round The World Race and the Volvo Ocean Race) has been the ultimate dream for the world's best sailors – Olympic champions, record breakers and pioneers. Over a six-month period, roughly seven teams race through the most extreme spots on the planet, calling at nine cities on six continents. Now renamed The Ocean Race, this epic event (which takes place every three years) is dedicated to marine conservation, with a manifesto that includes targets for net-positive impact and lobbying forcefully for the proposed 2030 Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights.
The 50th anniversary edition of The Ocean Race 2023 challenges seven teams to reach ten cities across four continents, with 5-7-person mixed-gender teams racing day and night, sometimes for 20-day stretches at a time.
In each stopover city, free-to-enter Race Villages will host onlookers, sports lovers, CEOs, decision makers and local community groups. As one of the sporting world’s biggest spectator events, the Ocean Race sees a footfall of 2.5 million, second only to the FIFA World Cup’s 3.4 million.
About Archwey
Archwey, founded in 2022, is the holding group of Arch & Hook, Shieldler, and PlasticBean, three sustainable materials engineering companies that supply groundbreaking sustainable solutions for the manufacturing, display and transportation of products in fashion, retail, hospitality and healthcare. Utilising its GRS-certified[1] plastic solution BLUEWAVE®, in the last 18 months, Archwey recycled and cleaned 32,500 tonnes of plastic, creating innovative materials and beautiful new products from waste.
Archwey’s objectives include:
- Ensuring all subsidiary companies become B Corp-certified within the next two years.
- Doubling the amount of plastic waste it recycles and cleans from 32,500 to 65,000 tonnes by the end of 2023.
- Continuing to contribute to global education through key initiatives, such as the United Nations Office for Partnerships, local governments and trade bodies.
About BLUEWAVE®
BLUEWAVE® is a thermoplastic material, consisting of a mixture of plastic inflows: derived from marine plastics, ocean-bound plastics, post-consumer waste and on some occasions post-industrial waste, depending on the end-use application. This waste is collected at riverbanks and coastal areas in, but not limited to, China and SE Asia. Without our invention, this plastic waste would otherwise end up in our oceans.
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