Adriatic Plastic Challenge 2018

How to stop the flow of plastic waste into the Adriatic Sea?

Every minute in a day one full truck of plastic waste ends up in our seas and oceans. Every year it is more then 8 million tonnes of plastic in the seas. We cannot accept that and we want to initiate a real change and collaboration between sectors and different groups of people around our common problem, which is plastics in the seas.

That is why we have started the Adriatic Plastic Challenge initiative and within that we have created a pilot-innovation challenge together with our partners.

Our partners are the NGO Zona from Poreč and Volvo Cars Adria. We are looking for innovative solutions to stop the plastic waste accumulation in the sea. We are looking for solutions that will improve current practice and be faster, better and bigger then business as usual. We are looking for the ideas that will accelerate the creation of totally new models and solutions. Or the solutions that will change all we do now with a giant leap.

We want:

• To find innovative solutions to the problem of marine plastic pollution.
• To raise awareness about the problem and promote responsible behaviour and activities in multiple sectors – our governments, manufacturers, and all of us as individuals and consumers.

HOW?

We have designed, published and promoted a public call for innovative ideas that was open for submissions until September 10t^h. Out of 42 applications we selected seven ideas and teams whom we invited for a two-day intensive bootcamp with mentors.

WHEN?

Bootcamptakes place in Zagreb, on 13^thand 14^th October 2018 at Stablo znanja with the team of mentors from IBM Croatia and LeanStartupCroatia.

In the end of the second day of bootcamp, the teams will present their ideas to the jury in a three-minute pitch. The jury will select the three best presented ideas and the first team wins 10.000 kunas, the second 7.500 kunas and the third 3.500 kunas.

WHO are the seven selected teams and ideas for the bootcamp?

1. Plastic Adriatic – a digital platform
2. Filter for microplastics – prototype, a new product
3. Green Sea Safari – clean-up and education as a new tourist offer
4. Pa-pa plastika! – a new brand as alternative for single-use plastics
5. Čuvari mora/Guardians of the Sea – children book for education
6. ECO THRONE – prototype, a new product for separate collection of plastics
7. Zlarin, pilot-island without single-use plastics

WHY?

Because ALMOST EVERY piece of plastic ever produced in the world still exists. Because less than 5% of produced plastic is recycled. Most of waste plastics end-up in the sea. Most of it comes from the land, from us. Because of our habits and behaviour patterns, our production and consumption.

We want to gather and engage all the relevant stakeholders: the public, media, government and policy-makers, production and the retail sectors by creating an interactive collaborative platform for finding sustainable solutions. We want to see the REAL change.

Because we want to make the REAL change together with YOU!