Monthly Archives: February 2023

The Ocean Cleanup: The New System 03

After knowing our client is Plastic Bank, I decided to do more research on ocean cleaning and found this article about The Ocean Cleanup!

Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization founded by Boyan Slat in 2013 that strives to, as the name says, clean up the ocean! Especially plastic. The organization has developed different technology developments to help achieve its goal; for instance, their System 002 “Jenny,” an ocean cleanup system, works like a fish net that collects the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP), located between Hawaii and California consists approximately 100 million kilograms of plastic.

With the help of donations from individuals and huge organizations like Airbnb, this year, they will launch their System 03, which is three times the size of their previous System 02, about 2400 meters wide. With this, they aim to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040! Compared to the old system, System 03 is way more efficient as it only needs “as few as ten systems” to clean the entire GPGP. However, there are always challenges. The variables influencing the results are the “downtime for extracting the plastic that’s collected and how well the system can be steered to target hot spots in the patch.” You may be wondering what they do with the plastic they picked it up. For The Ocean Cleanup, they hope to work with other companies to transform this ocean plastic into “durable plastic products.” To prove it is possible, they have come up with sunglasses.

Besides the ocean, The Ocean Cleanup also puts effort into cleaning up the rivers by having Interceptor systems that will “capture plastic before it reaches the ocean” to stop the tap. However, due to regulations and cultural differences, they could not manage and handle local waste themselves, which causes issues.

The Ocean Clean Up operates on a bigger scale than Plastic Bank due to its capacity and funding from business giants. Moreover, their ways of collecting the plastic are different since one is towing a huge net to capture the ocean plastic, and one is collecting plastic around the neighborhood and turning plastic into currency. Eliminate the discussion of which one is better; it is nice to know some organizations care about the planet and are willing to help. As individuals help, we can support them through donating, getting their merchandise, or helping out if possible!

Continue reading →

Anheuser-Busch: Encourage Fans to Join the NRL to Win NFL Tickets

What do people do when they watch sports games? DRINK! Because of this, beer cans or bottles always lie around the stadium after an event finishes. However, Anheuser-Busch, a famous beer giant, came out with the idea that it would incentivize people to recycle their bottles and cans. This will increase the recycling rate of empty bottles and cans during a sports event and reduce the cleaning effort needed.

This year, Anheuser-Busch brought a cycle reverse vending machine to NFL and MLB sports events stadiums to encourage people to recycle empty bottles and cans. This also allows fans to join its National Recycling League (NRL) and win prizes. The vending machine will give prizes, such as tickets to the Super Bowl event, for every recycled container. As for the NRL, it is a campaign that Anheuser-Busch started to help encourage recycling and reduce waste during sports events. Its current activations include “offering infinitely recyclable aluminum cups” instead of single-use plastic ones and a call-to-action of “Recycle Like A Champion.” During these sports events, there will also be Recycling Hawkers, volunteers from an organization called Keep America Beautiful, to help collect used cups, cans, and bottles to ensure every container will be recycled properly.

This initiative is undoubtedly a huge step for sports events to be more environmentally friendly. However, it is difficult to imagine if this campaign will be successful without knowing the scale of this project, such as how many vending machines will be placed and whether the fans know this event is ongoing. Also, another factor that will influence the success of this campaign is whether the prize is appealing. For instance, if today, they are only going to give out a minimal amount of Super Bowl tickets, the fans might think the chance to win such a ticket is too little and decide it is too much work to go out of their way to participate.

Despite the potential concerns, as previously mentioned, this is a huge step. I look forward to such a campaign being brought up not only in NFL or MBL, but other international events such as the Olympics or FIFA.

Continue reading →

Library of Things: Start Borrowing, Stop Buying

Have you ever had an experience where you buy an item and only use it once? I did. I remember I bought this specific sauce from Save On Foods just because I wanted to recreate an authentic Thai dish- Pad Krapow Gai; after my cravings were satisfied, I never used that sauce again, and then it expired, so I had to throw it out.

This kind of activity has created lots of waste. But, in Saskatoon, a sustainability living store called “” has found a way to tackle such a problem: having a “Library of Things.” This new business model works exactly like a library, but instead of books, are things!

The “Library of Things” is a volunteer-led initiative where the store “encourages sustainable living” by reducing waste generated by those “one-time” use item but also help save money for people. How the “Library of Things” works is that people visiting the store can borrow or reserve the items they want. According to the owner, there is stuff ranging from kitchen appliances such as bread makers to spices such as ginger powder that one might buy for one-time use only. All this stuff gathered in the store is also donated by the Saskatoon residents, which further builds a community.

In the earlier classes, we discussed ways 20 business model innovations for sustainability, and one of the categories is diverse impact. For example, the “Library of Things” targeted the shared resource aspect of it. With this, people do not have to own a specific product and hence will decrease the waste generated. Another element is that for people who are unsure whether they want a particular item, these borrowable products can serve as a try-out, so it also helps decrease the risk and uncertainty of owning a product. Other examples of shared resources are AirBnB or Evo Cars.

Everything has a risk. One risk is people sabotaging shared resources. For example, in some cases, Airbnb owners found out their houses were trashed and some items were stolen. To tackle those issues, the shop owners should notify the borrower about specific use rules or have them put in a deposit.

Besides the risks, I would love to see if Vancouver shops will be willing to tap into this business model soon as this could change consumer behavior of buying things whenever to borrow when needed.

Continue reading →