Onet joins Fabrice Amedeo’s fight to protect the environment
The Onet Group has signed a 3-year partnership to support Fabrice Amedeo’s project from 2019. The sailor puts his Imoca at the service of the international scientific community to preserve the oceans and the planet.
In particular, the Group finances the sensors on board the famous sailor’s racing boat. This equipment enables scientists to collect data (water temperature, salinity, presence of microplastics, etc.) to better understand the factors contributing to ocean pollution.
The “Ocean Calling” scientific project
A former journalist turned sailor, Fabrice Amedeo takes part in numerous ocean races, including the Transat Jacques Vabre, the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe.
At a time when preserving the oceans has become a major issue, in 2019 the sailor launched the scientific project “Ocean Calling“, which aims to improve knowledge of sea and ocean pollution.
Fabrice Amedeo has formed partnerships with scientists from the University of Bordeaux, IFREMER and IRD, among others, to install oceanographic sensors on board his Imoca.
These have made it possible to collect a wealth of data (water temperature, salinity, CO2 levels, etc.) in areas that are difficult to access.
Made available to the entire scientific community, this data demonstrated that the surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean were twice as polluted by cellulose fibers as by microplastics.
Onet has supported this project from the outset, as it is consistent with its ambition to create healthier, safer and more reliable environments. Committed for many years to reducing their environmental impact, Onet’s teams daily encourage practices that promote the circular economy and the substitution of conventional cleaning products with ecolabelled and biotechnological products.
Oceanographic sensors
Deciphering the data, exclusive discoveries following the Vendée Globe 2020
After 2 years of study and research, some of the data collected during the Vendée Globe 2020 has been analyzed by scientists from Ifremer and the University of Bordeaux. The studies reveal that the surface waters of the Atlantic Ocean are contaminated both by particles from the fragmentation of plastics and by cellulose fibers from the washing of clothes. They also show that the North Atlantic is more affected by plastic pollution than the South Atlantic, and question the dynamics of the subtropical gyre (microplastic concentration zone) since the pollution levels measured there are lower than expected.
Samples taken from filters at 100 μm and 30 μm are currently being analyzed, along with those from the last Transat Jacques Vabre between Le Havre and Brazil, which will provide a map of microplastic pollution in the North Atlantic and refine the difference in concentration between the South and North.
Made available to the entire scientific community, these data will enable us to better understand the sources of plastic pollution and thus better identify the actions to be taken. Raising public awareness and developing large-scale recycling are undeniable areas for improvement.
These initial results only reinforce our determination to develop ever more responsible solutions, such as our Biogistic waste management solution, and to continue reducing our use of plastic in all our businesses. They also reveal the new challenges we will have to face, and open up new avenues for action, notably with regard to the life cycle of our work clothes, a reflection initiated in 2020 and included in our CSR roadmap 20/23.
Learn more about Fabrice Amedeo
A sailing news reporter? Or a news reporting sailor? Fabrice Amedeo has never felt the need to choose between his two lifelong passions. But in recent years, the sea has called him away from his desk in the Figaro newsroom.
Beginning with the Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe yacht race, Fabrice went on to participate in the Transat Jacques Vabre competition. After trading his Class40 sailboat for an Imoca yacht, he set out to tackle his personal Everest: the Vendée Globe race. His 11th place finish in the 2016-17 edition launched him into an elite circle of skippers. As his childhood dream became a reality, more and more fans began to follow his journey.
Always eager to improve, he joined forces with Eric Peron in 2019 aboard the Newrest–Art & Fenêtres yacht for his fourth Transat Jacques Vabre race.