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

As a key player in the fight against ocean pollution, SUEZ supports skipper Stéphane Le Diraison, who took part in the 2018 Route du Rhum aboard his boat named 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.

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Multi-actor action to protect the oceans

Committed to the same cause, SUEZ, Bouygues Construction and the city of Boulogne-Billancourt will support Stéphane Le Diraison for 3 years in order to convey a strong message: the preservation of the oceans is a multi-stakeholder action that must collectively involve institutions, companies and citizens.

"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.

80% of pollution at sea comes from human activities on land. Here are some eco-actions that can be adopted on a daily basis to help preserve the oceans and avoid pollution of water resources: