Alexis est un designer entrepreneur (et aussi un peu philosophe) qui a créé PlasticVortex, un système de récupération des déchets dans les eaux fluviales.
Si une partie des déchets est jetée dans des poubelles domestiques ou publiques puis traitée, une partie significative se retrouve dans la nature et finira tôt ou tard dans une rivière, un fleuve puis un océan. Des actions de ramassage sont organisées pour limiter le passage du déchet de la terre au fleuve. Malheureusement ces actions ne suffisent pas ou plus. PlasticVortex vient en complément des actions de prévention et de ramassage. Afin d'offrir une solution complète aux villes, Plastic Vortex s'est fixé un objectif: proposer un système de récupération des résidus flottants avant qu’ils ne puissent atteindre l’océan !
Pour Alexis, le design est un formidable outil pour capter l’attention. Il rappelle que nous sommes dans une économie de l’attention où il est indispensable d’utiliser les outils esthétiques à notre disposition pour focaliser notre attention et donc notre énergie sur des solutions à impact positif qui répondent à des problématiques environnementales globales.
Selon Alexis, les designers ont un rôle à jouer dans la transition écologique en démocratisant des produits éthiques, conçus pour acter un changement de conscience en les rendant attractifs grâce à l’esthétique.
Alexis is an entrepreneurial designer (and also a philosopher) who created PlasticVortex, a wastewater recovery system in river waters.
It is not necessary to recall the urgency of ocean pollution by plastics. The images of the "continent of plastic" in the middle of the Pacific made it possible to measure the magnitude of the phenomenon. Some figures on the source of this pollution: in France between 16,000 tons and 42,000 tons of plastic are discharged each year in the seas and oceans. 80% of this pollution is generated by the cities and passes by the rivers (source: Macroplast).
If some of the waste is thrown into domestic or public bins and treated, a significant part is found in nature and eventually ends up in a river, and then an ocean. Pick-up actions are organized to limit the passage of waste from the land to the river. Unfortunately these actions are not enough. PlasticVortex comes in addition to prevention and collection actions. In order to offer a complete solution to the cities, PlasticVortex has defined an objective: to offer a system that recovers floating residues before they can reach the ocean!
PlasticVortex has deployed a first demonstrator in Toulouse, it is composed of two floating arms forming a dam 35m waste. The demonstrator is arranged on 1/4 of the width of the river but its implantation is studied to optimize the capture. As it is on the surface, it lets the fish pass and does not disturb the local ecosystem. Once stopped, the residues are sent to a bin. From the bank, the agents of PlasticVortex come once a week to recover the bin and proceed to the sorting of the waste so they are recycled and revalorized. Alexis and his team work to ensure that PlasticVortex is also a tool to raise awareness of river pollution by attracting attention, but also a tool for commitment. PlasticVortex also used collected plastic bottles for its floats to block the river pollution!
For Alexis, design is a great tool to capture the commitment and reframe our future perspectives. He reminds us that we are in an economy of attention where it is essential to use aesthetic tools to focus our attention and therefore our energy on positive impact solutions that address global environmental issues.
According to Alexis, designers have a role to play in the ecological transition by democratizing ethical products, designed to bring about a change of consciousness.
If you are interested in PlasticVortex, feel free to contact us!
It would be a pleasure for us to introduce you to Alexis.
