New wave as startup tide sweeps up Thai ocean plastic
In a Thai fishing village, residents are selling plastic waste to the startup Tide, which aims to create value from ocean plastic.
Tide works directly with remote collectors and international manufacturers to recycle plastic.
The villagers, from the semi-nomadic Moken community, live on the beach amidst discarded polystyrene and other refuse. Tide co-founder Marc Krebs says "There is more than enough plastic in our world" that should be reused.
“You have to start somewhere… We are quite convinced that we are at the beginning of a new wave," he said.
Tide's model uses blockchain technology to track plastic from collection to finished products, like carpets made in the Netherlands. Condor Group director Jan Hoekman calls Tide "really unique" for its social impact and transparency.
"We did a lot of research, and Tide is really unique with indeed the social impact, but also their blockchain technology. You can follow the product from collection to the final product, which you see here. That's all transparent, which is very important if you talk about sustainability," Hoekman told the AFP.
Tide is one of several start-up initiatives tackling ocean plastic pollution. As Krebs states, "the more products that are being launched and proved that the quality is just the same, convinces others to switch."
