They wanted to save lives… Now they’re polluting the planet.
They wanted to save lives… Now they’re polluting the planet.
#GlobalRecyclingDay #JournéeMondialeDuRecyclage
Every year in Marseille, 20 tons of life rafts, life jackets, and wetsuits are simply buried.
Why?
Because they are expired.
Not because they are unusable.
Not because they are beyond repair.
Just because the system doesn’t know what to do with them.
200 to 500 years. That’s how long they will take to decompose, releasing toxic micro-particles that will eventually pollute our soil, our seas… and our children.
Meanwhile, we keep producing new materials, consuming more and more, accumulating waste that could have a second life.
So what do we do?
Yes, we will always need this equipment for safety at sea.
But do we really have to turn them into ecological time bombs?
What if we reinvented their use?
Upcycling: transforming these materials into useful and durable products.
Sewing, high-frequency welding, local manufacturing—solutions already exist.
A virtuous ecosystem: schools to train seamstresses on technical fabrics, integration workshops for cleaning and cutting, short supply chains to avoid unnecessary transportation.
My commitment: 95% of these 20 tons must be reused within 3 years.
But to achieve this, we need action:
- Public authorities: to support the transformation with land and funding.
- Schools and integration workshops: to structure a sustainable and inclusive industry.
- Entrepreneurs and manufacturers: to create new uses and business models.
The choice is simple: keep burying… or build a meaningful future.
So, who’s on board with us?