Route du Rhum: SUEZ partners with skipper Stéphane Le Diraison and his sailing boat Time for Oceans

Skipper Stéphane Le Diraison arrived in Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe, after 15 days of racing, and is 8th in his IMOCA category. He competed in the race aboard his 60-foot Time for oceans boat.

Stéphane Le Diraison used renewable energies to power himself with a hydro turbine that allowed him to cover all his energy needs on board. Aware that 8 million tonnes of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans each year, he also rigorously managed his waste throughout the race.

"We want to take advantage of the context of major ocean races to highlight these topics, create a buy-in effect and give credit to the message we carry. By participating in events such as the Route du Rhum and the Vendée Globe, I was able to see the impact that this type of project can have on the general public", says Stéphane Le Diraison.

The skipper and his partners will raise awareness among the general public through concrete actions: thematic conferences, educational web-series, testimonies from the sea, media coverage, educational materials...

These will be in line with SUEZ's commitment to protecting the oceans, alongside UNESCO since 2015 and as part of its #suez4ocean program launched in June 2017.

SUEZ provides concrete and local solutions for the preservation of water resources and the recycling and recovery of waste, particularly plastic waste, thus contributing to the protection of marine environments and strengthening their capacity to absorb the impact of global warming.