Contribute to the "Chinese Strategy" to Save the "Ocean Blue" Dialogue with Chinese fishermen who have been praised by the "Champions of the Earth" Award
On February 26, local time, the 6th United Nations Environment Assembly opened in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to discuss global environmental governance under the framework of multilateralism. During this period, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, as the pioneer of the "Blue Cycle", winner of the 2023 United Nations Champions of the Earth Award, the highest honor in the field of environmental protection, was invited to attend the special session of the United Nations Environmental Science-Policy-Business Forum, bringing a sustainable, replicable and scalable innovative plan for marine plastic waste management in China.
Since being awarded the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award at the end of last year, this is another time that the "Blue Cycle" has stood in the international spotlight. This new model, led by the government and implemented by the main body of enterprises, realizes the visual traceability of the whole process of marine plastics "from the ocean to the shelf" through digital technology innovation Internet of Things, blockchain and other technologies, and accurately benefits the front-line collection groups with industrial dividends, effectively controls plastic pollution in coastal waters, and realizes a "win-win" situation between ecology and enrichment.
"Effective, inclusive and sustainable multilateral actions to address climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution" – echoing the theme of this year's UN Environment Assembly, China's plan, represented by "Blue Cycle", provides new ideas and examples for global marine ecological governance.
From Survival to Ecology: Actively Picking Up Marine Debris
During the Chinese New Year, the weather is warm and cold. In Shitang Town, Wenling City, Zhejiang Province, on China's eastern coast, this reporter went out to sea with the fishing boat of fisherman Guo Wenbiao.
"Fishermen pick up garbage not only for the marine ecology, but also for their own survival. Soon after the boat sailed, Guo Wenbiao said that Shitang Fishing Port, as a sheltered harbor, is affected by ocean currents and near-shore topography, and is prone to form garbage accumulation zones.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic products account for at least 85% of marine litter, making it the largest, most harmful and persistent part of marine litter.
Guo Wenbiao, who is nearly 60 years old, has lived in Xiaoshatou Village, Shitang Town, Wenling City since he was a child. He said that the recycling of marine litter was initially motivated by fishermen's instinctive need for survival and safety.
"When a fishing boat goes out to sea, it is most afraid of being entangled in the propeller by discarded fishing nets and wires thrown into the sea. In particular, old fishing nets may lose power once they are hooked up to fishing boats, causing huge economic losses and endangering the lives of fishermen. Guo Wenbiao said that he once saw a fishing boat that had been at sea for many days, and after returning to port, it cleaned up more than 10 tons of garbage that had been stirred into the propeller, and it was only dragged out by a large crane.
In recent years, with the improvement of fishermen's awareness of environmental protection and the value of fishery resources, people have begun to avoid or even eliminate throwing waste into the sea as much as possible. On the other hand, the marine debris caught by fishing boats trawling can also be properly disposed of with the "blue cycle" recycling channel, and there is a certain economic return.
"We have mobilized more than 6,300 people and more than 10,000 ships to join the 'Blue Cycle' project. Up to now, more than 61,800 people have participated in the treatment, and a total of 10,936 tons of marine debris have been collected, including 2,254 tons of plastic waste, contributing to the pollution control of coastal waters. Ye Chen, one of the initiators of the "Blue Cycle" project and general manager of Zhejiang Lanjing Technology Co., Ltd., introduced.
At the wharf of Shitang Fishing Port, the reporter saw a warehouse called "Little Blue House", where a large number of plastic bottles were pressed into bundles and stacked neatly. The plastic bottles were picked up by fishermen and volunteers in the surrounding area at the beach, and were recycled by "housekeepers" at a price higher than the market price.
The "Little Blue House" is a collection and storage site for marine plastic waste under the "Blue Cycle" model, where waste is simply sorted and compressed. In the next step, marine plastic waste, such as plastic bottles, waste fishing nets, and buoys, is transported to the recycling plant for cleaning, crushing, granulation, etc. Finally, after professional processing, high-value plastic products that are more in line with the international concept of ecological environmental protection are produced. Many of the people involved in the recycling are local left-behind elderly and other low-income groups. In order to increase the motivation of front-end collection, the profits after the sale of the products are "fed" back to those involved in the recycling of ocean plastics. Therefore, this project has become a vehicle to promote common prosperity.
Digital technology support: turning waste into treasure "genuine"
The waste plastic that originally floated on the surface of the sea has been transformed into fashionable clothing, high-end water cups, and exquisite stationery...... But at the end of the market, how to prove to consumers that these plastic products really come from marine litter?
Digital technology plays an important role in this. According to reports, the "Blue Cycle" relies on technologies such as blockchain and the Internet of Things to realize the full visual traceability of plastic waste "from the ocean to the shelf", carry out carbon labeling and carbon footprint calibration, and effectively promote the transformation of marine plastic waste into treasure and value enhancement.
On the data platform of Blueview Technology, the real-time positioning, return and departure of fishing vessels in the entire Taizhou sea area are clear at a glance. With this data, the platform is able to infer and grasp the generation of waste from fishing vessels. "If you go to sea multiple times and no marine debris comes back, the fishing boat will be red carded. Ye Chen said.
Breaking down data barriers is a key point in the promotion of the "blue cycle". Xie Huan, director of the Taizhou Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, who participated in the United Nations Environment Assembly, said that in order to solve the problem of marine plastic waste management, Taizhou City has made overall planning, organization and promotion since 2020, and innovated to create a digital governance of marine plastic waste. It coincides with the launch of government data openness in Zhejiang Province in 2020 to encourage global data sharing and stimulate the value of data elements. After docking and evaluation, Taizhou City opened part of the data to the "Blue Cycle" project to help the smooth implementation of the project.
What's deeper is that with the blessing of Internet technologies such as blockchain and big data, ocean plastics have become "clear".
Along the beach, nearby fishermen and volunteers wore blue vests and used clips to pick up plastic bottles washed up by the sea and put them into plastic bags, and the camera on their chests completely recorded the process and location of their pickup. It should be noted that in order to ensure that the bottles are genuinely coming from within 3 km of the coastline, if they cross the border, the electronic fence program will prompt.
Solving the certification problem, these marine plastic recycled particles made of marine garbage are purchased by international leading enterprises that pay attention to environmental protection and carbon reduction at a higher price than traditional recycled plastics, realizing market-oriented recycling.
At Blueview Technology, the reporter received a document bag made of marine debris. Scan the QR code above, and the picture displayed reads: The document bag contains 6.5 grams of ocean plastic, and consumers can reduce the production of 0.32 plastic bottles and reduce carbon emissions by 8.45 grams in this purchase, and there is a photo of the collector's avatar below the picture. Click on the visual traceability button to see the entire process of the product "from the sea to the shelf" on the map.
It is understood that many domestic and foreign enterprises are willing to purchase higher-priced marine plastic recycled particles and products in order to fulfill their social responsibilities. "This is an ideal recycled material for international brands, and the market prospect is very broad. The person in charge of Lanjing Technology said.
Demonstrate the responsibility of a major country: deeply participate in ocean governance
On the afternoon of February 27, local time, the Taizhou delegation participating in the United Nations Environment Assembly exchanged views with officials and relevant experts of the United Nations Environment Programme. The relevant person in charge of the United Nations Environment Programme highly affirmed the new "blue cycle" marine plastic waste management model, and hoped to further improve the "blue cycle" governance model, continue to accelerate the replication and promotion of innovation, and provide solutions and practical paths for global plastic pollution control.
In recent years, the "Blue Cycle" has been supported and recognized by the United Nations, many international organizations and overseas enterprises through the technological innovation of marine environmental protection, the application of blockchain and the sustainability of the model, and has carried out active and effective communication and cooperation with relevant institutions and enterprises in France, Germany, Turkey, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and other countries.
The "Blue Cycle" model is seen as an inspiring example for governments, businesses and communities around the world who want to take action to reduce plastic pollution as an effective way to manage ocean plastics, tap into economic benefits and promote common prosperity.
On November 17, 2023, Inger Andersen, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, connected with the head of the Chinese project to congratulate the "Blue Cycle" project on winning the "Champions of the Earth Award", praising it for finding an effective solution to solve marine plastic pollution, and will continue to support and pay attention to the project. On November 23, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Representative in China, Tu Ruihe, visited Taizhou to discuss how to accelerate the construction and promotion of the "Blue Cycle" project, and hoped that the "Blue Cycle" platform would be open to the world by 2025.
On China's long coastline, the "Blue Cycle" is being extended and promoted – starting with Zhejiang Province, it is planned to achieve full coverage of 289 ports in nine coastal provinces and two cities by 2025. At present, the "Blue Cycle" project has completed 49% coverage in Zhejiang Province, and "Blue Cycle" demonstration centers are being built in Shandong, Hainan, Jiangsu, Fujian and other provinces.
All walks of life believe that the "blue cycle" governance model will contribute more Chinese wisdom and strength to the world's marine ecological protection and plastic waste management in the process of extensive participation in international exchanges and cooperation in the fields of marine plastic waste management, resource recycling, and industrial innovation and development.
The innovative move of the "blue cycle" is a microcosm of the joint efforts of the Chinese government and the private sector to actively explore the construction of global ecological civilization. It can be said that with the introduction of China's maritime power strategy, the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" initiative, and the concept of "marine community with a shared future", China has transformed into an in-depth participant in the field of global ocean governance and made positive contributions to the sustainable development of mankind.
