On 9 and 10 June 2021, the members of the BeMed Business Club met at the InterContinental Marseille – Hotel Dieu. The workshop was an opportunity to welcome the new member companies, to make progress on the two main areas of work of the Club and to experience a unifying moment after a year of remote operation. Around thirty people worked together in an efficient and friendly manner.
The first day was devoted to supporting the InterContinental Hotel in its efforts to reduce single-use plastics. The first steps of the support were presented and similar initiatives undertaken by Iberostar, the Société des Bains de Mer de Monaco and Vacances Léo Lagrange were shared in order to integrate their feedback. Through collaborative practices, the corporate members present, along with multidisciplinary scientists (ENSAM, IMSIC), Surfrider Foundation Europe and local stakeholders (Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole, Agence Régionale pour la Biodiversité et l’Environnement, Lemon Tri, Plastic Odyssey) actively contributed to prioritise around ten plastics out of the 92 identified within the hotel.
The second day was an opportunity to implement several facets of the science-industry dialogue. A thematic session provided an opportunity to compare the views of Citeo and Veolia on the challenges of recycling, thus closing a cycle that began in the spring with INRAE and Nielsen Recycling. The member companies involved in the study of an emblematic eco-design case were able to share their respective problems and converge, thanks to the scientific support of ENSAM and CNRS, towards a generic case whose collective analysis will benefit everyone. A strategic coffee proposed by Haribo, discussions on internal communication and governance also contributed to the dynamics of this day.
The BeMed Business Club is ready to continue these different avenues of work to meet the challenge of a Mediterranean less polluted by plastic!
