Munich/Kiel, June 23, 2024 – Around 35 km of coastline along the Baltic Sea were cleaned as part of the 39th International Coastal Cleanup Day. Equipped with garbage bags, buckets, tongs and gloves, the volunteers and helpers collected more than 500 kilograms of garbage on Friday and Saturday; the final evaluations are currently underway. Not only thousands of cigarette butts, plastic packaging, plastic film and bags, bottles and corks were once again the shocking yield of the hard-working collectors, but also shoes, textiles, mats, a wide variety of other waste and even hazardous waste such as batteries and rechargeable batteries.

The Washington-based NGO Ocean Conservancy coordinates this International Coastal Cleanup, which always takes place on the 3rd weekend in September, and summarizes the results of the global waste collection in an overall report.

“We hope that participation will be as high again next year when we call for the 40th International Coastal Cleanup on 19/20 September 2024,” emphasizes Dr. Harald Frank, project manager at One Earth – One Ocean. He continues: “Nevertheless, we can only make a limited contribution with these important and effective actions. Reducing marine litter requires, in particular, decisive political action and continuous environmental education campaigns.”

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all participants and our sponsor Stadtwerke Kiel AG, who made the campaigns financially possible.

About one earth – one ocean e. V. (oeoo)

The non-profit environmental organization one earth – one ocean e.V.(oeoo), based in Munich and with offices in Kiel, Battambang/Cambodia, Manila/Philippines and Rio/Brazil, has been pursuing the goal of ridding the world’s waters of plastic waste since 2011. The multi-stage “Maritime Waste Disposal” concept for eliminating coastal marine pollution caused by plastic waste envisages – in addition to processing land-based plastic waste – collecting the plastic from waters around the world using a fleet of special waste collection ships and then recycling it on recycling ships such as the SeeElefant. Projects to remove plastic waste from bodies of water are currently underway in Cambodia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Uganda and Egypt. Specially designed waste collection ships called SeeHamster and SeeKuh are used for this purpose. From 2026, the first “SeeElefant”, a converted multi-purpose freighter that will have systems for sorting, shredding, processing and pressing marine waste on board, will be the first pilot system for a waste recycling ship. As soon as industrial-scale plastics-to-fuel plants are available, plastic will also be converted back into sulphur-free oil directly on board. The association is also involved nationally and internationally in research into microplastics as well as educational and awareness-raising work and documentation on the subject of marine litter. Back in 2013, oeoo won the prestigious GreenTec Award, Europe’s largest environmental and business prize, for its maritime waste collection concept. In 2019, the association received the Federal Ecodesign Award from the Federal Ministry for the Environment for its SeeElefant waste recycling ship concept. Further information about oeoo and its current projects can be found at www.oeoo.world.

Press contact
Dr. Harald Frank
Finance & Projects
Krausstr. 17, 24118 Kiel

+49 (0)176-30326723
harald.frank@drfrank-finance.com
www.drfrank-finance.com

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Munich/Hamburg, June 19, 2024 – In the context of a The Körber Foundation honored Günther Bonin with the 2024 Encore Award for his life’s work at a festive gala in Hamburg-Bergedorf on 13 June. The prize is endowed with 60,000 euros and is awarded to personalities who have built up a company with added social value with 60plus. The award is justified by the foundation as follows: “Günther Bonin (68) from Munich founded the environmental organization One Earth – One Ocean e.V. (oeoo) in 2011 with the aim of ridding the world’s waters of plastic waste, oil and pollutants. Using special innovative waste collection ships, the association collects plastic waste from oceans, rivers and lakes at hotspots, which is then sorted and recycled. In addition, oeoo is involved nationally and internationally in the areas of research, environmental education and documentation and has been an official partner of the UN CleanSeas environmental campaign since 2018.”

Bonin comments: “I would like to thank the Körber Foundation very much for this honor and for the fact that it has been bestowed on me at an age when I will hopefully still have enough time left to continue the fight against plastic waste and microplastics in oceans and waters for as long as possible – because this fight is more necessary than ever.”

In addition to ongoing global waste collection and recycling campaigns, oeoo has been regularly examining water samples in the Atlantic and North Sea for their microplastic content for ten years as part of a microplastic monitoring program led by microbiologist Dr. Rüdiger Stöhr. Supported by the Oldenburg-Portugiesische Dampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft (OPDR), over 1,000 water samples of 20 liters each were taken from container ships on 134 trips between Hamburg and the Canary Islands and tested for microplastics in the association’s own laboratory in Kiel. In the first few years, 73% of the samples contained microplastics; the proportion is now 94%. The largest proportion of plastic parts comes from the packaging and coating industry. An ever-increasing proportion is made up of fibers, from which modern clothing is made. The results of the measurements are shown in the Microplastic Pollution Map (MPPM) at https://oneearth-oneocean.com/unsere-projekte/microplastic-pollution-map/ in an interactive nautical chart. Günther Bonin summarizes the results: “Ten years of our research show beyond doubt that the situation has continued to deteriorate. There is no longer a body of water without plastic.”

About one earth – one ocean e. V. (oeoo)

The non-profit environmental organization one earth – one ocean e.V.(oeoo), based in Munich and with offices in Kiel, Battambang/Cambodia, Manila/Philippines and Rio/Brazil, has been pursuing the goal of ridding the world’s waters of plastic waste since 2011. The multi-stage “Maritime Waste Disposal” concept for eliminating coastal marine pollution caused by plastic waste envisages – in addition to processing land-based plastic waste – collecting the plastic from waters around the world using a fleet of special waste collection ships and then recycling it on recycling ships such as the SeeElefant. Projects to remove plastic waste from bodies of water are currently underway in Cambodia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Uganda and Egypt. Specially designed waste collection ships called SeeHamster and SeeKuh are used for this purpose. From 2026, the first “SeeElefant”, a converted multi-purpose freighter that will have systems for sorting, shredding, processing and pressing marine waste on board, will be the first pilot system for a waste recycling ship. As soon as industrial-scale plastics-to-fuel plants are available, plastic will also be converted back into sulphur-free oil directly on board. The association is also involved nationally and internationally in research into microplastics as well as educational and awareness-raising work and documentation on the subject of marine litter. Back in 2013, oeoo won the prestigious GreenTec Award, Europe’s largest environmental and business prize, for its maritime waste collection concept. In 2019, the association received the Federal Ecodesign Award from the Federal Ministry for the Environment for its SeeElefant waste recycling ship concept. Further information about oeoo and its current projects can be found at www.oeoo.world .

About the encore price

Improving the world is possible at any age. Every year, the Körber Foundation awards the Encore Prize to three personalities over 60 who have used entrepreneurial means to find solutions to the social challenges of our time and have built up a social enterprise. The encore prize is endowed with 60,000 euros each. The focus is on people whose initiatives show that experience and innovation, retirement and new beginnings, age and social impact complement each other productively. Further information on the prize and former award winners can be found at https://koerber-stiftung.de/projekte/zugabe-preis/

Press contact
CP Communication
Christian Prechtl
Alte Eppelheimer Straße 23
69115 Heidelberg

+49 (0)6221 65018 24
info@cpkomm.de
https://cpkomm.de

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Munich/Kiel, December 5, 2023 – The leading international classification society Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV), headquartered in Paris, has awarded the planned waste recycling vessel “SeeElefant” from one earth-one ocean (oeoo) the “Approval in Principle” certificate following a thorough inspection on November 8, 2023. This confirms that the inspected documents comply with the rules of the classification society and that the conditions for intactness and leak stability of the 180m bulker in transit mode, i.e. in ship operation, are fully met.

Rolf Stiefel, Head of Central Europe at BV, explains: “The SeeElefant has the potential to make a substantial contribution to the elimination of plastic waste on coasts and beaches. As a classification society, we are delighted to be involved in this pioneering project from the very beginning.

“NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG from Buxtehude is also literally on board with this globally unique sustainability project as a shipping company,” assures its CCO Markus Thewes.

The development team led by oeoo CEO Günther Bonin presented the initial design of the bulk carrier, automatic plastic sorting system and waste-to-energy system back in spring. With a daily processing capacity of 200 tons of plastic waste from waterways and households, the SeeElefant is a pilot system that can work perfectly in the coastal waters off metropolitan regions due to its easy scalability and mobility in order to effectively counteract the global flood of plastic on a regional level.

Now that the basic solutions for the ship and plant technology are in place, the next step is to establish the overall financing of EUR 50 million for the first recycling ship. Together with an experienced consulting firm, financing is being sought from subsidies from the “Green Deal”/European Innovation Fund and customized loans from European development banks. Further funds from the German shipyard subsidy program “Innovative shipbuilding secures jobs” can be integrated.

“We have already received very positive signals from potential financiers and are optimistic that we will reach the next milestone in April 2024 with the submission of the EU funding applications,” says project manager Dr. Harald Frank. “If the schedule is implemented as planned, the SeeElefant will be ready for its first trials in 2026.”

“We are already thinking about scaling up the SeeElefant systems in order to make an effective contribution to reducing plastic waste and boosting recycling,” says oeoo founder Günther Bonin. And he adds: “This requires further technical and financial partners, particularly from industry, who want to drive this project forward together with us.”

About one earth – one ocean e. V. (oeoo)

The non-profit environmental organization one earth – one ocean e.V.(oeoo), based in Munich and with offices in Kiel, Battambang/Cambodia, Manila/Philippines and Rio/Brazil, has been pursuing the goal of ridding the world’s waters of plastic waste since 2011. The multi-stage “Maritime Waste Disposal” concept for eliminating coastal marine pollution caused by plastic waste envisages – in addition to processing land-based plastic waste – collecting the plastic from waters around the world using a fleet of special waste collection ships and then recycling it on recycling ships such as the SeeElefant. Projects to remove plastic waste from bodies of water are currently underway in Cambodia, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Uganda and Egypt. Specially designed waste collection ships called SeeHamster and SeeKuh are used for this purpose. From 2026, the first “SeeElefant”, a converted multi-purpose freighter that will have systems for sorting, shredding, processing and pressing marine waste on board, will be the first pilot system for a waste recycling ship. As soon as industrial-scale plastics-to-fuel plants are available, plastic will also be converted back into sulphur-free oil directly on board. The association is also involved nationally and internationally in research into microplastics as well as educational and awareness-raising work and documentation on the subject of marine litter. Back in 2013, oeoo won the prestigious GreenTec Award, Europe’s largest environmental and business prize, for its maritime waste collection concept. In 2019, the association received the Federal Ecodesign Award from the Federal Ministry for the Environment for its SeeElefant waste recycling ship concept. Further information about oeoo and its current projects can be found at www.oeoo.world .

Press contact
CP Communication
Christian Prechtl
Alte Eppelheimer Straße 23
69115 Heidelberg

+49 (0)6221 65018 24
info@cpkomm.de
https://cpkomm.de

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PRESS RELEASE

Waste collection project in the megacity Bekasi over a period of three years:

Munich-Garching/Neckarsulm/Jakarta, November 13, 2019 – The environmental organization One Earth – One Ocean e.V. (OEOO) together with the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and PT Wasteforchange Alam Indonesia (W4C), a local specialist for waste and recycling management in Java/Indonesia, is launching a joint river cleaning project in the Indonesian megacity Bekasi east of Jakarta in spring 2020. With the Schwarz Group, an internationally leading German group in the fields of trade, production and recycling with approx. 430,000 employees worldwide and more than 12,100 branches and specialist stores in 30 countries, OEOO has gained a strong partner who is aware of its responsibility for the environment and actively fulfils this responsibility in its international plastics strategy REset Plastic, also by eliminating plastic waste from the environment. The joint project will initially run for three years. The project is managed by OEOO.

“We are very pleased to have gained a strong partner in the Schwarz Group to start another waste collection and river cleaning project in Asia in spring 2020 after our project in Battambang/Cambodia”, explains Günther Bonin, founder and chairman of the environmental organisation One Earth – One Ocean e.V. “In addition to financing the entire project, which also includes the SeeHamster collection catamarans and other equipment, training for those involved in the project and recycling the collected plastics, the Schwarz Group is also contributing its recycling expertise. The project is also supported by the local government in Bekasi”.

“For a sound plastics strategy, it is important to take a holistic approach. For this reason, we have defined five fields of action at REset Plastic, the plastics strategy of the Schwarz Group: prevention, design, recycling, disposal as well as innovation and education” says Anja Köllner, overall project manager of REset Plastic. “With this field of action, we want to contribute to preventing plastic waste from entering the environment and to eliminating plastic waste from the environment and recycling it professionally. Through our cooperation with OEOO, we support the disposal of plastic in one of the most affected countries”.

With the help of SeeHamster ships, special waste collection catamarans designed by OEOO for inland waters and rivers, the rivers around the metropolis of Bekasi, which are heavily polluted with (plastic) waste, are to be cleaned section by section. “We are pleased to realize our first project in Indonesia together with the Schwarz Group and W4C. Together it is our goal to collect the waste before it can reach the sea,” says Dr. Harald Frank, project manager of OEOO, about the planned cooperation. “In order to avoid emissions, we are using SeeHamsters for the first time in this cleaning project, which are equipped with an electric drive that can be charged via photovoltaics.”

from left to right: Lennart Rölz, OEOO, Dr. Ir. Safari Burhannuddin, Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Dr. Rahmat Effendi, Vice Mayor Bekasi City Government, M. Bijaksana Junerosano, Founder & CEO of PT. Wasteforchange Alam Indonesia, Hannah Carina Nicklas, Schwarz Zentrale Dienste KG, Benedikt Kohout, GreenCycle GmbH, Office Hong Kong, Dr. Harald Frank, Consultant OEOO and Head of the Project

There is much to do…

The industrial metropolis Bekasi, about 40 kilometers southeast of Jakarta’s center, has about 2.9 million inhabitants (2018) and is located in one of the areas with the highest environmental pollution in Indonesia. Bantar Gebang is Indonesia’s largest garbage dump, to which most of the waste from Jakarta has been transported since the beginning of the 1990s. The surrounding area is also home to the Citarum, allegedly the “world’s dirtiest river”, which is polluted mainly by chemicals from textile factories, but also by household waste and other waste. “Since there is neither a regulated waste collecting infrastructure nor running water, the river became not only a source of water for the residents, but also a dump. (…) In 2016, Greenpeace and other environmental groups joined forces and filed a class action suit against the Indonesian Ministry of the Environment. (…) In 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo promised that the Citarum would be restored to its original, healthy state within the next seven years. In 2025 the water should even be drinkable again. Nevertheless, until today the residents are only informed with simple signs that they are not allowed to dispose of household waste in the Citarum – and only a few adhere to the ban. This will not change until the authorities set up a proper garbage collection system.” (Source: https://www.vice.com/de/article/vb98b8/ich-habe-acht-jahre-lang-den-schmutzigsten-fluss-der-welt-fotografiert). Also the Cikeas River in Benkasi is extremely polluted with garbage and chemicals.

Marine litter cleanup

It is no longer necessary to emphasise that plastic waste in the waters of the world is one of the most serious environmental problems of our global society. It is estimated that over 140 million tonnes of plastic waste are already in the world’s oceans and that at least 10-15 million tonnes are added every year. Forecasts predict that by 2025 the amount of maritime waste will have doubled. The global annual damage caused by plastic waste in water is estimated by the UN at USD 13 billion. Long-term effects and consequential damage to humans, animals and ecosystems, especially from microplastics in the food chain, are not yet taken into account.

The non-profit organization One Earth – One Ocean e.V. (OEOO), based in Munich and Kiel/Germany, has therefore been developing its concept of “marine litter cleanup” for the collection of plastic waste from inland waters and oceans since 2011. The concept of ” marine litter cleanup” provides for a fleet of special workboats with conveying equipment for collecting plastic waste in rivers, estuaries and coastal sea regions. The smallest unit of the “marine litter cleanup” are so-called ‘SeeHamster’, small catamarans about four meters long and two meters wide and a fold-down metal ramp with which plastic waste from rivers and inland waters is collected. In the meantime, the fifth improved generation of SeeHamster ships is already in operation; they have been in service in Germany and Cambodia so far and will now also be used in the project in Indonesia.

One Earth – One Ocean e. V. (OEOO)

The environmental organisation One Earth – One Ocean e.V. (OEOO), based in Munich-Garching and Kiel, aims to free water from plastic waste, oil and other pollutants. Already today the pollution of the seas with plastic waste has reached alarming proportions. If we do not take countermeasures, the weight of plastic waste will exceed that of fish by 2050, according to a UN study.

OEOO has therefore been working since 2011 on the implementation and testing of its pilot concept for “marine litter cleanup”. The founder of OEOO is Günther Bonin, former owner of a successful IT company and a passionate sailor since his youth. His concept is divided into several stages: In a first step, the plastic waste is collected by special collection ships on waterways. Sorting and bundling of the waste takes place on board a converted multi-purpose freighter, recycling is carried out by disposers on land. Recyclable plastics are pressed into single-variety plastic bales. Plastic waste is also to be converted into energy and oil in the future.

What initially sounded like an idealist’s utopia is now taking on concrete forms. Collection ships of various sizes are now in operation in the Baltic Sea, Hong Kong and Cambodia. A feasibility study for the SeeElefant pilot system was presented in spring 2019 and is to be completed by 2021. Well-known companies and private individuals, including Röchling Stiftung GmbH, Schwarz Group, Deutsche Telekom AG and Daimler AG, support OEOO in different ways.

In 2013, OEOO was awarded the renowned GreenTec Award, Europe’s largest environmental and business prize, for its marine litter cleanup concept. In 2016, it was nominated for the first time for the German Bundespreis ecodesign, the highest award for ecological design in Germany. In 2018, the association was nominated for the Ocean Tribute Award by Prince Albert II of Monaco, which honours the most innovative and sustainable ideas on marine conservation. In 2019 Günther Bonin/OEOO received the Special Prize of the Gruner & Jahr Spa Award as well as the German Bundespreis ecodesign for its SeeElefant concept.

The Schwarz Group

The Schwarz Group is a leading international trading company with around 430,000 employees worldwide, over 12,100 branches and specialist stores in 30 countries. In fiscal 2018, it generated sales of 104.3 billion euros. The Schwarz Group, based in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, is made up of the Lidl and Kaufland retail divisions.

In addition to the trading business, the Schwarz Group has continuously expanded its portfolio to include production capacities for food. These include MEG Mitteldeutsche Erfrischungsgetränke and own brands in the baked goods and ice cream sectors.

For many years, the Schwarz Group has been involved in the collection, sorting and recycling of recyclable materials. The PreZero sales brand is the Group-wide disposal and recycling service provider for this purpose.

Press contact

Henning Stegmayer

Head of Corporate Communications

+49 (0) 7132 30 78 75 45

+49 (0) 1525 793 54 68

presse@mail.schwarz

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