BioDesign Foundation and the Navy unveiled the initiative.
A year after its official launch (which took place on the occasion of Ocean Race The Grand Finale 2023, in collaboration with the Navy, the related Hydrographic Institute, the Coast Guard and the Civil Defense) BioDesign Foundation and its systematic clean-up format The Custodians Plastic Race have engaged in several activities. The goal is to restore the beauty of the environment, removing plastic and waste from land and sea, seeking for a balance between man, technology and nature and promoting a new awareness.
As in 2023, in 2024 The Custodians Plastic Race stepped out alongside major sporting events, in the name of collaboration and sharing, commitment and collective effort. After collaborating with EUROSAF on the Formula Kite 2024 European Championship in March in Los Alcázares (Mar Menor, Spain), The Custodians Plastic Race collaborated with the European Athletics Championships in Rome and with the Foiling Week Malcesine 2024 on Lake Garda. Afterwards, set sail alongside the Navy for the Marina Militare Nastro Rosa Tour, following the eight stages of the competition. Moreover, The Custodians Plastic Race has collaborated with the European Match Race Tour.
Since the beginning of its activity, BioDesign Foundation with The Custodians Plastic Race have collected more than 600 tons of plastic dispersed in nature and fishing nets, employing nearly 1,000 Custodians of the Future. Custodians of the Future are individuals, volunteers, institutions, local and national associations, schools, municipal entities and companies, who, according to their resources, skills and possibilities, have worked to shape a better future.
The clean-up activities carried out had a positive and tangible impact, which, in addition to the significant reduction of waste and pollution in the treated areas, engaged citizens and communities in environmentally friendly practices and promoted responsible behaviour. The format of The Custodians Plastic Race is designed to be inclusive, involving not only those who are already sensitive to these issues, but also a broader audience who have often never participated in environmental clean-up initiatives.
Thanks to the support and collaboration of the Navy, Guardia di Finanza, Coast Guard and Civil Defense, the operations were highly effective. The first step was the mapping of the territory through the CESP app and the scanning of the seabed to highlight the marine litter clusters. CESP (The Custodians Earth Solution Platform) is a digital platform conceived by BioDesign Foundation available to everyone, allowing people to report the need to clean specific spots (beaches, lawns, roads). The second step was the selection of the areas of intervention and the presentation of the action plan to the participants, who received the necessary materials for waste collection. For actions on land, the coordination of Civil Defense was crucial, while the sharing of tasks between the Navy, Coast Guard and Guardia di Finanza enabled coastal and underwater activities.
For the future, the BioDesign Foundation will be expanding the scope, involving even more participants and developing educational projects to increase public awareness further. Based on the assumption that together we can have a significant impact on environmental protection, The Custodians Plastic Race started in Italy, later extending to Spain, Germany, Macedonia and Bulgaria. The goal is to reach every country in the world and clean the entire planet, ensuring the protection of biodiversity. This is achievable by acting collectively, following the principle “All Together Now”.
In spring 2025, the BioDesign Foundation will hold a global conference bringing together national and international researchers to present the latest developments in micro plastics research. Plastic in nature is being eaten, breathed, and kills. On average, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year. Only 9% is recycled properly. This means that the remaining 91% is handled improperly: incinerated (19%), ended up in landfills (50%) or dispersed in nature (22%, or more than 100 million tons). When plastics are not disposed of properly, they end up in our natural environment, turning into smaller and smaller particles less than 5 mm in size that are found everywhere: in sand, soil, ocean, fish digestive systems, the air we breathe and the water we drink.
Moreover, from October 6 to 12, 2025 The Custodians Plastic Race Italy will hold a weeklong clean up across Italy. The aim is to involve institutions, companies with their employees, associations and citizen volunteers to join together to clean the nation and show the world that, starting from Italy, the cradle of art, culture and beauty, with a collective effort, it is possible to protect the natural beauty of the planet.
