On the Atlantic coast, the little ants of plastic upcycling want to save the ocean

"La Plastiquerie" in Bordeaux, "Resak" in the Basque Country, "Rehab" in Concarneau: on the French Atlantic coast, a myriad of associations are working to recover and transform plastic waste.

An activity that is all the more urgent since France is lagging behind: it only recycles 26% of its plastics, including 24,5% of plastic packaging. However, the objective set by the European Green Deal is to achieve 55% recycling of plastic packaging by 2030.

In Concarneau, "we collect old firefighters' bags," explains Nicolas Voisard, who founded Rehab in 2019. This former materials science student worked in design in Paris for two years, then the young surfer, who loves the ocean, wanted to "do something closer to his values."

For the tools - grinders, extruders - he was inspired by the models and plans published in open access by the "Precious Plastic" community, launched in 2013 by a Dutch designer.

From waste, Rehab produces designer panels "inspired by stained ceramics with a terrazzo effect". Interior designers use them for kitchen splashbacks.

"Our products are 100% recyclable," says the young man, supported by the Fondation de la Mer.

"To convince"

All these associations want to "show that it is possible to transform waste into beautiful and designer objects", underlines the Breton entrepreneur Didier Tabary, founder of the Kresk group (SVR cosmetic laboratories, Lazartigue, etc.), which has taken charge of the online marketing of the objects thus produced.

In 2023, the 33 associations supported by the Fondation de la mer in France and Africa "recovered a total of 630 tonnes of plastic, including 600 tonnes from Africa", explains Muriel Barrou, head of the "ocean protection" division at the Foundation.

It is a tiny drop in the gigantic ocean of global plastic: plastic production on the planet has increased 230-fold since the 1950s, while the world population has tripled in the same period, she admits, convinced nonetheless that her painstaking work must continue.

"We focus on plastics for which there is no industrial recycling solution," adds Lila Costes, founder of the Resak association in Anglet in the Basque Country, waste that never ends up in the yellow bins, often destined for landfill, and production waste from local manufacturers.

It has agreements with a subsidiary of the Vinci group specializing in signage to recycle white polyethylene shims used on cable rollers.

With two employees and four volunteers, the association recycled 3 tonnes of waste in 2023 and plans to reach 10 tonnes "within three or four years".

Above all, she has raised awareness among more than a thousand people. "Ultimately, our goal is to convince people to stop using plastic," explains Lila Costes.

"Refuse to buy"

Manufacturers in partnership with Resak must also commit to reducing their own consumption.

The association stopped its collaboration with a subsidiary of Suez responsible for water quality analysis, which uses one plastic bottle per beach per day, because the latter did not seek to reduce the number of bottles. And the sea water was damaging their machines.

The young engineer knows what she is talking about after seven years as an employee designing packaging for an international food giant from which she resigned in 2022.

"It drove me crazy to hear the talk about the thinner yoghurt pots coming from manufacturers when in reality they are selling more and more of them."

For her association, she has opted for a "targeted local approach" which does not transport waste: in Anglet, she works with a manufacturer of honeycomb polystyrene surfboards.

With the offcuts, she makes recyclable coffee tables, stools and lamp bases, with nautical names like "Ecume" or "Lagon".