Company: Plastic-i Limited
Founder: James Doherty, Donal Hill, Jack Lidgley
Website: https://www.plastic-i.com
About Plastic-i Limited
Plastic-i is a pioneering environmental technology company tackling the global plastic crisis. Using satellite imagery and AI, we map and monitor marine debris to empower governments, cleanup operators, and organisations with actionable intelligence to combat plastic pollution and protect ocean health.
The world is drowning in plastic. Every year, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic flow into the ocean, a figure set to triple by 2040 without urgent intervention. This crisis has catastrophic consequences for marine ecosystems, devastating wildlife, disrupting biodiversity, and destabilising coastal communities. Microplastics are now found in seafood, water, and even the air we breathe, posing serious risks to human health.
Plastic pollution is a global emergency, but it’s hard to fight a problem you can’t see. That’s where Plastic-i comes in. We launched the Plastic-i Observatory, the world’s first AI-powered platform for detecting, monitoring, and tracking marine debris at scale. Our technology transforms satellite imagery into clear, actionable insights, providing a bird’s-eye view of the plastic crisis in near real time.
Our platform redefines efficiency for cleanup operators, enabling them to achieve a 20% reduction in operational costs while removing up to 20 times more plastic from the ocean. We support leading organisations such as The Ocean Cleanup, Seven Clean Seas, and The Sea Cleaners, helping them target their efforts, optimise operations, and report results. For governments, we deliver the precise intelligence needed to meet reporting requirements under international instruments such as the Global Treaty on Plastics, soon to come into force. This ensures that efforts to address this crisis are data-driven and transparent.
Our journey began in 2021, when we won the prestigious Hack the Planet Competition, sparking our mission to address the growing plastic crisis. Since then, Plastic-i has been incubated by leading institutions, including the European Space Agency, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Creative Destruction Lab, and the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership.
We’ve received funding from Innovate UK and VC backing, demonstrating the broad support for our innovative solutions. This year, we were honoured to be nominated for the Earthshot Award, recognising our potential to make a lasting impact on the planet.
Our work doesn’t stop at plastic. We have a bold vision to become the ‘Bloomberg Terminal’ of ocean data, offering unparalleled insights into ocean health to empower stakeholders worldwide. From monitoring plastic pollution to assessing marine ecosystems and blue carbon habitats, our platform is a one-stop shop for actionable intelligence on the ocean’s state.
By transforming the way marine pollution is monitored and tackled, we’re arming humanity with the tools needed to fight one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time.
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