Our mission
Sharing with local territories the means to act against plastic pollution.
The solutions already exist. They are found in the field, carried by women and men who refuse to accept the situation. Our role is to amplify them by giving them the means to go further.
The regions hit hardest, Africa, South-East Asia and South America, are also the ones with the least infrastructure to respond.
Alarming consequences
- For biodiversity: large debris traps and injures wildlife, while microparticles cause lasting disruption to the most fragile ecosystems.
- For human health: by entering the food chain and drinking water, plastic residues and their chemical additives end up affecting our own bodies.
- For local economies: pollution degrades natural resources, harming access to clean water, fishing and tourism in the territories on the front line.
The plastic emergency
Since the 1950s, more than 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced. Only 9 % has been recycled, 12 % incinerated, and close to 79 % now sits in landfills, soils, rivers and the ocean.
Every week, each human being ingests an average of 5 grams of plastic, the equivalent of a credit card.
And yet, according to the OECD, global production could double by 2040.
Solid foundations, to be built wherever they are needed
The expedition proved that solutions exist, and that it is possible to reduce plastic pollution while creating jobs, knowledge and local value.
Plastic Odyssey Academy carries this mission forward over the long term, focusing its work on education, training and awareness of recycling. Created to pass on knowledge, support local initiatives and open access to proven solutions, Plastic Odyssey Academy acts locally in the territories most affected.
What we believe
" Knowledge is the first recyclable material: once shared, it becomes the first lever of transformation. "
Recycling is not the final answer. But it is today the best way to turn the plastic already in the environment into useful, durable resources, out of reach of the oceans and available to the technologies of tomorrow.
The plastic crisis is systemic: technology alone will not solve it. It calls for a shift in perspective, a change in behaviour and collective ownership of the solutions.
Lasting, rooted and repeatable impact is built by giving everyone the means to act locally.
From industrial equipment to local autonomy
All over the world, environmental projects run into the same obstacle. The technology is available but the local ecosystem is not ready. Skills, training tools and access to a professional network are missing.
To break this cycle, Plastic Odyssey Academy works hand in hand with Plastic Odyssey Factories, the entity dedicated to setting up industrial recycling plants.
Their collaboration rests on a deliberate division of roles. Plastic Odyssey Factories designs and deploys the technical waste treatment infrastructure. Plastic Odyssey Academy builds the skills and the social ecosystem needed to run those plants and extend their impact.
Together, they make viable business models possible, run by and for local actors.
Our values
🛠️ Empowerment
Strengthen local capacity and give everyone the power to act.
🌱 Frugality
Do more with less, innovate with simplicity and common sense.
🤝 Sharing
Make knowledge and tools freely available.
🔗 Cooperation
Connect public, private and civic actors.
✅ Accountability
Act with rigour, transparency and measurement.
Examples of projects run by Plastic Odyssey Academy
A look at some of the projects run by Plastic Odyssey Academy and its partners.
Emergency shelters (Philippines 🇵🇭)
Thousands of people lose their homes every year to typhoons. Emergency shelters built from recycled plastic panels. A solution that creates jobs, resilience and circularity.
Financial partner
Women Climate Resilience Center (Kenya 🇰🇪)
Our programme trains women in practical recycling skills and supports them in launching their own micro-businesses, creating income, autonomy and new women leaders in the circular economy.
Partners
Recycling FabLab (Nigeria 🇳🇬)
Two FabLabs set up in universities in Lagos to test and experiment with new solutions and train the next local generation of entrepreneurs. Places where learning, experimentation and production come together.
Financial partner
Our ambition 2026-2035
- Train 50,000 young changemakers
- Deploy 100 plants and FabLabs
- Create 5,000 local jobs
- Divert 100,000 tonnes of plastic from the environment
- Avoid 500,000 tonnes of CO₂eq through recycling
- Mobilise 1 million people through education and community action
- Build a global movement where plastic waste becomes an opportunity, not a pollution