Onet supports Fabrice Amedeo
The Onet Group has been supporting Fabrice Amedeo's project since 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 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 has taken 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, the navigator has launched the "Ocean Calling" scientific project in 2019, which aims to improve knowledge of pollution in the seas and oceans.
Fabrice Amedeo formed partnerships with scientists from theUniversity of Bordeaux,IFREMER and theInstitut de Recherche et de Développement (IRD), to install oceanographic sensors on board his Imoca. These have made it possible to collect a wide range of data (water temperature, salinity, CO2 levels, etc.) in areas that are difficult to access.
Made available to the entire scientific community, these data showed 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 encourage on a daily basis practices that promote the circular economy and the substitution of conventional cleaning products with ecolabelled and biotechnological products.
Oceanographic sensors
Deciphering data, exclusive discoveries following the 2020 Vendée Globe
After 2 years of study and research, part of the data collected on 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, as are 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 the North.
By making this data available to the entire scientific community, we can better understand the sources of plastic pollution and identify the actions that need to be taken. Raising public awareness and developing large-scale recycling are undeniable areas for improvement.
These initial results only serve to reinforce our determination to develop ever more responsible solutions, such as our Biogistic cleaning 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 lifecycle of our work clothes, a reflection initiated in 2020 and included in our CSR roadmap 20/23.
More about Fabrice Amedeo
Journalist-navigator? Sailor-journalist? Fabrice Amedeo has chosen not to choose between these two paths, which he has been following with passion for a long time. But the call of the open sea has taken over in recent years, leading him to frequent the pontoons of Trinité more often than the Figaro newsroom.
Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, Transat Jacques Vabre, first in a Class40 and then in an Imoca, Fabrice worked hard and diligently to make his way to the top of his personal Everest last winter. 11th in the Vendée Globe 2016-17, he entered the closed circle of circumnavigators, commanding respect and drawing many, many people into his childhood dream.
In 2019, he's back, double-handed, with Eric Peron, aboard Newrest - Art & Fenêtres for a fourth Transat Jacques Vabre and still the same desire to progress.
