An article that will make you feel very uncomfortable about the problem of Plastic Pollution in general, and Microplastics in particular, and will certainly make you want to read more, as Pinovo has done!
Elizabeth Kolbert's recent thought provoking article in the The New Yorkermagazine below reviews three books on the topic of Plastic Pollution. The books reviewed cover not only the sources and scale of the problem of Microplastics, but also the very real challenges and issues relating to "solutions" like recycling of Plastics. The conclusion in Ms. Kolbert's article is clear and unambiguous - we need to stop plastic pollution, and microplastics at source, by reducing plastic production and use. Why? Because, as Matt Simon, a science journalist at WIRED magazine, concludes in one of the books reviewed, "A Poison like no Other - How Microplastics Corrupted Our Planet and Our Bodies", "....Long pitched as benign wundermaterials, plastics are ubiquitous poisons that have seeped into the roots of the tree of life....", and "....any waste that you see floating in a river or tumbling across the land is just pre-microplastic". Spoiler Alert! As part of our summer reading, we at Pinovo have read Matt Simon's excellent and very troubling book, and will have more to say on the subject in our next Post! #PaintIsPlastic#SDG14 #PaintMicroplastics #SaveOurOcean #globalplasticstreaty. #Biz4Treaty #plastic #paint Follow link to Article 👉 https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/03/book-reviews-plastic-waste
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Interesting article below by Olivia Rudgard at Bloomberg News about the issue of Microplastics in domestic Paint. 🤔
This Bloomberg News article (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-19/your-house-paint-is-causing-an-ocean-plastic-problem?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTY4OTg0MjYwMiwiZXhwIjoxNjkwNDQ3NDAyLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJSWTFLNkhEV1gyUFQwMSIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI1RTUzMTc1QURCQ0U0Mjk2QTQ2NTE0OEQ2MTVBN0YyNSJ9.uvhUoRdRnLcUM9T2hxXPCHcAItmQHDDT7JDYFcmHHd8) raises awareness that #PaintIsPlastic, and that we need to find solutions to the problem of Mismanaged Paint - the biggest source of Microplastics in the environment (The Pew Charitable Trusts - https://lnkd.in/eS3VMRga). Domestic paints contain "only" a relatively low percentage of plastic, up to 5%, because their function is primarily decorative. Marine and Industrial paints, on the other hand, which make up about 36% of total Ocean Microplastic Leakage (Paruta et al., 2022), comprise 50%+ plastic. This is because the paint's primary function is to protect the object, which is a positive. What is not so positive however, is that an important proportion of this paint ends up in the environment, and most often the Ocean, at the time of paint application, during maintenance, and at end-of-life of the painted object i.e. Mismanaged Paint. As a result, EA - Environmental Action estimated total Paint Microplastic Leakage at 1.9m tonnes in 2019, or 58% of Total Microplastic Leakage into the Ocean - more than Microplastic leakage from tyres, textiles and pellets put together. Articles like Olivia Rudgard's help draw public and business attention to this important issue, which will in turn incite policy makers and regulators to take action. 👏 Keeping up a positive summer theme, here are some "Reasons to be Cheerful" (© Ian Dury and the Blockheads)!
Last week we wrote about the Citi GPS Sustainable Ocean Economy report. In that report, Dr. Ying Qin, PhD identified policy reasons to be hopeful about our capacity to build a sustainable ocean economy. Now, why not watch this short video from Friends of Ocean Action (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/friends-of-ocean-action_worldoceanday-oceanaction-bluethread-activity-7073924675080204288-TUws?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop)? It explains what multilateral Ocean treaties are being/have been negotiated, and how they seek to put in place frameworks on important Ocean Health issues from Plastic Pollution, to Marine Protected Areas, to Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. That's the good news! However, before we can really celebrate, those words need to be turned into action. That requires governments around the world to finalise and ratify these treaties as soon as possible. Pinovo is playing its part as one of the early members of the WWF/Ellen MacArthur Foundation Business Coalition for a Global Plastic Treaty. We strongly support the Coalition's Vision of seeking a Treaty with legally-binding global rules and measures to drive change on a global scale. That Treaty can play a key role in solving the problem of Paint Microplastic Emissions, because #PaintIsPlastic! Some well written and thought provoking summer reading for you, especially if you plan to spend time beside, on, or under the #Ocean!
We were fortunate to attend an event recently where Ying Qin, PhD of Citipresented the excellent Citi GPS #Sustainable #Ocean #Economy report, of which Dr. Qin was the lead author ( 👉 this link for the report, executive summary, and video - https://on.citi/3WSCNlw). The report explains very clearly just why #OceanHealth is so important to everything from climate change to food supply to economic development, etc. etc., how UN Sustainable Development Goal (#unsdg) 14, Life below Water, is the most under funded of the 17 SDG's, and what steps should be taken to rectify this. In addition, the report includes input and interviews with a range of recognised Ocean experts, including Ted Janulis, Kimberly Mathisen, Olivier Wenden, Ronald Tardiff and Christian Lim. There are reasons to be hopeful about our capacity to build a sustainable ocean economy, as explained in the Citi report, and which we will deal with in Posts over the summer. - They include "macro" or policy reasons, such as the agreement of the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity framework targeting protection for 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. - At the level where those policies are executed, there are fantastic platforms such as UpLink - World Economic Forum , Katapult Ocean, Solar Impulse Foundation, Ocean Impact Organisation, RespectOcean, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and OCEANOVATION that are supporting and promoting #OceanTechsolutions such as Pinovo's, that protect Ocean Health by stopping Ocean Paint Microplastic Emissions, with our Clean Blasting Technology. Because, #PaintIsPlastic! After #sustainability, the other big macro trend in surface treatment is #robotics, and here again, Pinovo is "all in"!
Robotics increase the productivity of clean vacuum blasting, making it suitable for use on large flat surfaces such as ships’ and FPSOs' hulls. Pinovo was delighted that its Clean Blasting Technology was chosen by Remotion AS for the surface treatment piece of Remotion's Robocoat solution, providing high quality surface roughness before re-coating. See below a photo and report from Remotion AS on work currently underway on an Aker BP ASA FPSO, using Remotion AS's robotic solutions, and Pinovo's clean blasting technology. We look forward to collaborating with Remotion AS at other customers's sites in Scandinavia, and across Europe, and in other industries such as at chemical plants with large tanks that are suitable for robotic solutions, but need a high quality surface finish prior to re-coating, as provided by Pinovo. Pinovo's technology is also a clean sustainable solution, stopping Paint Microplastic Emissions, and ideal for spot blasting! Because, let's not forget, #PaintIsPlastic! 🎨 Here is a picture from one of our ongoing operations this summer where we are offshore doing a complete hull surface campaign on an FPSO. The robots have degreased the surface, removed all old paint, grit blasted the surface to Sa 2.5, feathered edges and are now applying a high-quality three layer coating system according to NORSOK M-501 standard. ♻ All preparation sequences are done with collection of the waste. Coating is carried out with our unique airless spray paint shielding hood that significant increases transfer efficiency of paint and thus prevent overspray being released to the environment. 🚀 In general the robotic solutions work more efficient and safer on vertical hull areas, but it gets even better when we use more of them! On this project up to three robots are in operation. On the picture one Helios robots is painting, a other is idle on the hull waiting to start surface preparation, while a third robot is standby for hot water high pressure water cleaning before each coating sequence. All robots are operated beyond line of sight with its topside spread according to ATEX Zone 02 and NORSOK Z-015 regulations. 🌦 When offshore campaigns last for months, the diversity of weather is significant. Tools like the spray paint shielding hood increases the operational wind restrictions, but in addition our skilled personnel plan according to weather forecast so that for example surface preparation that can be done in rain and windy conditions is completed before the good weather painting days, with the result that the operation progress almost regardless of the weather. Pinovo had an opportunity to talk to the super well informed and connected Ocean audience at the OCEANOVATION Festival, about how big the problem of Paint Microplastic Leakage into the Ocean is (Paint is the largest source of the Leakage, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts and EA - Environmental Action!), and how Pinovo's technology tackles this problem!
Congratulations to Rick Wall and his great team including Elodie Delagneau, Emma Robinson, and Charlotte Durup de Baleine for their excellent organisation and execution of the inaugural OCEANOVATION Festival in The Hague. It was very motivating and uplifting to hear the different ways in which the other Ocean Innovators at the Festival are working to protect Ocean Health and Biodiversity, and how important investors and leaders in the Ocean space, such as Pierre Erwes, Chris Gorell Barnes, Ted Janulis, Adam de Sola Pool, Steffen Knodt and Maren Hjorth Bauer are driving finance to Ocean solutions and innovations. Thanks to Diederik Hoogendoorn of Perspect Industrial Products, Pinovo's distributor in the Benelux region, for joining us at the Festival, and for demonstrating our tools and talking about our (happy!) customer case studies. It was also great to see Pinovo's fellow UpLink - World Economic Forum Top Innovators who are active in the Ocean space - Caroline Hooft-SlootwegDavid Lunsford Brian Tsuyoshi Takeda Anssi Mikola, Plastic Fischer GmbH, and Samantha Rengers - Deane supporting one another at the Festival. UpLink - World Economic Forum rocks 😎 ! So, which surface treatment solution delivers the best surface finish for re-coating AND is better for the operator, the public and the environment?
Pinovo is delighted to be working with Consolvo AS doing clean surface treatment on the Verftsbrua (also known as Blomsterbrua, or "Flower Bridge") in Trondheim. The operator you see in the photograph below is removing old paint and rust from the bridge surface prior to re-coating, ✅ without having to close the bridge to pedestrians and cyclists, ✅ without the need for sheeting, scaffolding, and cleaning up afterwards, and ✅ without any Paint Microplastic Emissions ending up in the water under the bridge. Congratulations to Trondheim kommune for choosing the clean surface treatment solution for bridge maintenance, like other municipalities in Norway and Sweden are now doing! Most industrial and marine surface treatment, using the traditional surface treatment methods, takes place out of sight of the public - on ships and oil rigs, and in shipyards, chemical plants and oil refineries. Bridge work is one of the rare examples where the public can see what normally goes on “behind closed doors”! Should you be talking to your Municipality to recommend that they switch from the traditional methods of bridge maintenance, to clean blasting?
On #WorldOceansDay 2023, it's worth remembering that...
Yes.....#PaintIsPlastic, and #Paint is the biggest source of Microplastic Pollution in the #Ocean, according to the science based, data driven research from The Pew Charitable Trusts and EA - Environmental Action, and #PlasticPollution jeopardises #OceanHealth and #Biodiversity, and reduces the capacity of the Ocean to mitigate #ClimateChange. Or, as our hero, Dr. Sylvia Earle, put it so eloquently, “No water, no life. No blue, no green.” On this #WorldOceansDay 2023, Pinovo calls on #Regulators and the #PaintIndustry to act now to stop Ocean Paint Microplastic Pollution. There are proven, readily available solutions for Ocean Paint Microplastic Pollution, including Pinovo’s technology that stops the Paint Microplastic Emissions at source. On #Regulation, we are all waiting with bated breath for the #EUCommissionreport on the regulatory measures that DG ENV will take to support the #EUGreenDeal objective of reducing Microplastic Emissions into the Environment by 30% by 2030. But we also need the #PaintIndustry to educate its customers about the risks of Mismanaged Paint to the Ocean, at the time of paint application, during surface treatment before repainting, and at the end-of life of painted objects. Last but not least, have a look at the great UN World Oceans Day video below. It tells you better than we can what we need to do, and why, to protect the Ocean on this #WorldOceansDay 2023! Pinovo is very happy 😁 to report that #Paint #Microplastic #Pollution is firmly “on the Agenda” at INC-2, the official name for the #UNPlasticsTreaty negotiations, taking place this week in Paris. Read on to find out how?
On Monday, Ambassador Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary General's Ocean Envoy, shone a light on Paint as a source of Microplastic Pollution in his Opening Address to the Side Event on #MarinePollution. 🎨 🚢 And then, on Wednesday, Leah Mupas Segui of The Pew Charitable Trusts was the Focal Point for a Side Event on Microplastics, and delivered this paper - "Painting the Town Plastic: Research reveals bigger scale of global microplastic emissions than previously reported". 🎨 😯 Winnie Lau at The Pew Charitable Trusts recently published an article 👉 https://lnkd.in/eS3VMRga confirming that Paint is in fact the biggest source of Microplastic Pollution in the Ocean. This had been reported in February, 2022 by the Lausanne based researchers, EA - Environmental Action, authors of the 2017 IUCN report on #Ocean #Microplastics. 🎨 🌊 Pinovo was one of the early members of the WWF/Ellen MacArthur FoundationBusiness Coalition for a Global Plastic Treaty. We strongly support the Coalition's Vision of seeking a Treaty with legally-binding global rules and measures to drive change on a global scale. 💪 The Business Coalition's Key Messages include the need for "PREVENTION and REMEDIATION of remaining, hard-to-abate micro- and macro-plastic leakage into the environment". This goes to the heart of Pinovo's mission of stopping Paint Microplastic Emissions, with our Clean Sustainable Surface Treatment solutions for the Industrial and Marine sectors. We must all hope that the negotiations currently underway in Paris will open the way to conclusion of a Global Plastics Treaty, with a reduction in plastic production, use, and pollution. And don't forget! #PaintIsPlastic Pinovo is "over the moon", "stoked", "blissed out" to have been awarded the Special Prize for a Marine Biodiversity Solution at the Ocean Pitch Challenge® in Paris this week 😁 🏆 🌊!!
This is recognition of the important problem of Paint Microplastic Pollution, and Pinovo's solution. The Ocean Pitch Challenge® is organised by RespectOcean and Sustainable Ocean Alliance. We would like to thank Aurélie Dubois, Jessica Newfield, Benjamin Lesage, Mélissa Michaud, and Pia Scaramiglia for their excellent organisation of this event, and for their preparation of the Finalists by the top class mentors and coaches, including Michael Rubin, Mark Butcher 🇺🇦, and, the one and only Nathan Gold! The Special Prize was awarded to Pinovo by the Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), who was represented by Cyrille Barnérias and Alain PIBOT. We look forward to working with OFB to support their work to protect biodiversity in the Ocean, by stopping Paint Microplastic Emissions at source in the marine and industrial worlds. We want to congratulate all of the impressive Finalists in the OPC, and the other winners, including the well deserved First Prize winner 🏆 🎉 - Paradoxal Surfboards and Jeremy Lucas. See link for all details 👉 https://lnkd.in/ejX_RPGt. Thank you also to the jury for your time, your interest in our solutions, and for your insightful questions, both during and after the event. A final big "shout out" to Louis COTTIN, Ludivine SERRIERE, and your team at Leonard for ensuring everything ran so smoothly on the day, in what is a great venue. And don't forget! #PaintIsPlastic |
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