Leave a Nest Group has partnered with Ichthion Ltd., a UK startup working to solve marine plastic pollution, on its river plastic collection project, Galapagos Guardian.
Marine plastic pollution is a global problem that affects marine ecosystems and puts many organisms at risk. Marine organisms may die after ingesting plastic, while microplastics created through degradation spread through entire ecosystems via food chains. It is estimated that 12 million tons of plastic waste flows into the ocean each year, driven by illegal dumping and insufficient understanding of recycling.
Ichthion focuses on the fact that 60 to 80 percent of marine plastic is carried to the ocean by rivers and becomes extremely difficult to collect once it enters the sea. The company has developed technologies for collecting plastic waste at the river stage and launched Galapagos Guardian in Ecuador, home to the Galapagos Islands, a World Heritage site.
Many of the major sources of marine plastic waste are in Southeast Asia. The Philippines, India, and Malaysia rank among the largest sources. In Malaysia, the estimated share of plastic waste entering the ocean is approximately 9 percent, compared with around 0.6 percent in China, even though China's total plastic waste is about ten times larger.
To address marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia, Leave a Nest Group has partnered with Ichthion to support its expansion into the region and the growth of Galapagos Guardian. As a first step, Ichthion CEO Inty Grønneberg presented the significance of the company's solution at Hyper Interdisciplinary Conference Singapore 2024.
Ichthion will also open an office at Center of Garage Malaysia, a deep-tech incubation facility operated by Leave a Nest Malaysia. From Malaysia, where the share of plastic flowing into the ocean is high, the partners plan to implement Galapagos Guardian and conduct educational activities to deepen understanding of marine plastic.
Through this partnership, Leave a Nest Group and Ichthion will strengthen their collaboration and advance effective measures to solve the marine plastic problem.
About Ichthion
Ichthion Ltd. is a spin-off from Imperial College London focused on preventing plastic from reaching coastal waters and developing technologies to collect plastic from the ocean. Its Azure system removes plastic waste from rivers to prevent marine pollution, and several collection projects are operating in Ecuador. The relationship between Leave a Nest Group and Ichthion began when Ichthion was selected as a finalist in TECH PLANTER 2018 UK. In 2024, Leave a Nest Capital invested in Ichthion.