All aboard The Plastiki

David Turney - Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The most amazing and confronting story has just crossed the news desk at Smart Automotive, which has special relevance to our own business. It's a story that must be spread, because it brings to the fore a problem that's serious, undeniable and reversible yet, for some reason, we have little awareness of.

The Plastiki is a 60-foot catamaran, being constructed in a warehouse overlooking San Francisco Bay, to make a journey across the Pacific and - all things to plan - sailing into Sydney Harbour some time during March 2010.

What's so special about that? The Plastiki is made entirely from PET plastic bottles, some recycled and some still in original form lining the frame and hull, for buoyancy. 12,500 bottles alone will line the frame of the boat. It's the brainchild of David de Rothschild (a descendent of the Rothschild banking family) and is designed to highlight the ecological impact of PET plastic waste and raise awareness of the need to act now to arrest the growth of plastic waste, including reusing and recycling. You should check the expedition website by clicking here.

Early into its journey, The Plastiki will set sail across what's known as the eastern pacific garbage patch, which is a mass of post-consumer rubbish in the Pacific Ocean, gathered by natural ocean currents (gyres) and an area at least twice as big as Texas (or New South Wales and Victoria, in Australia, combined). Yes, you read it right; a rubbish patch twice the size of Texas, floating in the ocean. Unimaginable enough, but most confronting is this: it's been discovered recently that the mass of plastic now exceeds that of plankton (the food source for thousands of species' of sea animals and birds) by a ratio of six to one. That's sampled at the edge of the gyre too. Therefore it's theorised that, due to the nature of the gyre, at the centre, the ratio would be much higher. Take a look at this clip and we dare you not to be affected.

At Smart Automotive, we're very excited by the expedition for two reasons.

Firstly, we share the same passion and similarities in our attitudes for making a positive impact on the environment. On our own patch, we're doing what we can by using and encouraging the use of reusable, sustainable material. Second, the expedition will complete its ocean journey in our hometown and HQ, Sydney Australia (after which the boat will be broken down and recycled again). The boat's due to depart some time during November and we'll be following its journey closely as it heads towards its goals and our home, so visit us (or their site) often to get the latest.

In your line of business, there's a practical need and desire to protect customer cars while they're in your care. It reduces your liabilities and protects your image as an automotive professional. Smart Automotive fulfils this need in an environmentally responsible way and our Repeat seat protectors break new ground by being manufactured from 100% recycled PET bottles. When you buy and use Repeat seat protectors for your workshop, business or franchise network then you're also doing your part to reduce the impact of PET plastic waste on the environment.

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