According to the most recent reports from the United Nations, plastic pollution has become one of the foremost environmental scourges of this century.

Each and every year, 11 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans, threatening ecosystems, economies and human health. In fact, once submerged in the water, plastic breaks down into micro- and nano-particles so that it becomes impossible to recover.

Plastic pollution is thus responsible for creating a ‘‘seventh continent’’ in the Pacific Ocean with a surface area equivalent to three times that of France. At the current pace, this figure is slated to multiply by four between now and the year 2050.

Faced by this alarming observation back in 2014, French actor Samuel Le Bihan and François Danel, former General Director of ‘‘Action contre la Faim’’, set up the Earthwake association (which became a company in 2020) to pursue the goal of providing concrete solutions by upcycling plastic waste. Very rapidly, they were joined by inventor Christofer Costes who developed equipment capable of transforming waste into fuel thanks to pyrolysis, a chemical process making it possible to return plastic waste to its original state: that of petrol.

Following several years of Research & Development, the pyrolyser Chrysalis made its appearance: innovation not only low-tech (low cost), but self-sufficient (it feeds on the gas it produces) and mobile (it is entirely containerized). Chrysalis therefore meets the double challenge posed by plastic pollution and the lack of access to energy in certain countries, while creating new jobs for its exploitation and in the recovery of plastic.

The Earthwake solution has proven to win wide appeal among investors. In March this year, the company raised 2.2 million euros in capital and subsidies thanks to shipowner CMA CGM, R&Co4Generations (Rothschild & Co), Créazur (Crédit Agricole Provence Côte d’Azur) and WiSEED (the first participatory financing platform in France). Successful fundraising will enable it to have Chrysalis equipment certified and placed on the market while recruiting new skills, and also financing the need for working capital for its first sales.

By 2027, Earthwake Enterprise thus aims to become a world player in the field of chemical upcycling of plastic waste.