Circular blue economy as a solution.

According to the Pacto Mundial, the main threats facing our oceans are:

1. Climate change,

2. Pollution, waste and plastics,

3. Habitat destruction,

4. Overfishing,

5. Weak governance,

We all know that marine pollution is an alarming reality that demands urgent solutions and a change of mentality.

Why are plastics one of the biggest environmental problems?

Plastics are one of the main causes of marine pollution due to:

• Their accumulation on the seabed and surface.

• The long time they take to decompose.

• Their effects on the food chain, which even affect humans.

According to Greenpeace , some 700 marine species are affected by this pollution, and every year more than a million birds and 100,000 marine mammals die from plastics that end up in the oceans.

What is the Blue Point project about?

#BluePoint is a european initiative that brings together public entities, universities, research organisations and private companies from Spain, France, Ireland and Portugal. This project seeks to transform the problem of marine plastics into an opportunity, promoting a #BlueCircularEconomy in regions such as Gipuzkoa, Cantabria, Asturias, Portugal, France and Ireland.

SODERCAN | Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria as a partner in the project, plays a key role in:

• The prospecting, detection and management of potential beneficiaries.

• Support for entrepreneurship and business development in the value chain associated with cleaning up plastic waste in the oceans.

What are the key actions of #BluePoint?

1. Research and circularity: promote the blue economy by recycling plastics.

2. Diagnosis of opportunities: identify sustainable business models in the blue economy.

3. Awareness raising: involving society in the creation of new value chains.

4. Pilot projects: promoting technical innovations close to the market.

5. Support for entrepreneurs: encouraging the development of sustainable initiatives.

6. Knowledge transfer: facilitating the development of sustainable business models in the blue economy.

Key agents in Spain.

Last week, we had the privilege of meeting first-hand several actors involved in this program. #SODERCAN brought together multiple agents involved in the promotion of the circular blue economy:

Is that all?

The Blue Point project is an example of the #PositiveImpact we can generate by converting an #environmental challenge into sustainable economic opportunities. However, an inevitable question arises: is this the definitive solution, or do we need to rethink our consumption and commit to the progressive elimination of #plastic in our lives?

Although projects like this are essential to address the damage already caused, true change will only be possible if we drastically reduce the production and use of plastics, betting on alternative, biodegradable materials and circular economy systems from the root. The solution is not only to clean up the damage done, but to prevent this damage from continuing to occur.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

• Raquel Manzanares Valdor ( SODERCAN | Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria ) Nerea Egia ( Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia - Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa ), Unai De Vicente ( MIK ) & Javier Barro ( ASATA Asturias ) detailing their participation in the different work packages of the project.

• Ana J. Abascal Santillana ( IHCantabria ), ALFREDO ORTIZ SAINZ DE AJA ( Universidad de Cantabria ), Pedro Ruiz Rodriguez (MARE) & Alvaro Gallo-Cordova ( CSIC ), who presented new opportunities from a scientific and technological perspective.

• Representatives of Cantabrian companies: Alejo Calatayud Álvarez Jose Antonio Mazorra ( Textil Santanderina / Santanderina Group ) and Andrés García de Tuñón ( Armando Alvarez Group ) & Ramón Mendez who shared their advances in sustainability and R&D, aimed at using fewer resources and pollutants, definitely commited to participate on more sustainable materials. But it was the speech from Nuria San Millán from Transformando Futuros , an organization committed to push formal education and connecting relevant actors to sustainability.