The 8th of June is dedicated to the oceans worldwide. The United Nations has proclaimed the day the annual World Ocean Day to draw attention to the acute threats to this unique habitat and its inhabitants. Climate change, pollution and overfishing threaten the oceans, which - as a source of food, oxygen producer and climate stabiliser - are of the greatest ecological importance for life on earth.

The conservation of the oceans and the careful use of their resources is one of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Modern technologies can make a decisive contribution to their implementation. Dassault Systèmes supports with its solutions the realisation of sustainable innovations to save the world's oceans. The examples of two start-ups show what this looks like in practice.

The Ocean Cleanup: The largest cleanup operation in history

The non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup aims to rid the oceans of floating plastic waste. About 20 million tonnes end up in our waters every year and destroy entire ecosystems. To collect the rubbish, the organisation developed a cleaning system - a U-shaped floater several hundred metres long that is towed by two ships. To recycle the collected plastic, The Ocean Cleanup works with partners who use it to make new and sustainable products. In addition to cleaning up the oceans, another focus of the organisation is to intercept plastic waste that would enter the oceans via rivers.

Dassault Systèmes has supported founder Boyan Slat's organisation from the very beginning. Both the design of the cleaning system and the mapping of the areas to be cleaned required extensive simulations. As part of the Dassault Systèmes 3DEXPERIENCE Works Start-up Programme, the company provides free licences for simulation tools, training materials and co-marketing opportunities.

LobsterLift: Protecting species through innovation

The start-up LobsterLift is dedicated to the protection of endangered species. Lines attached to the surface from traps to buoys in lobster and crab fisheries cause whales or other large marine animals to become entangled in them. Many of these animals are unable to free themselves and suffer severe injuries and chronic stress, making it difficult for them to survive and reproduce. One such species, the North Atlantic right whale, is estimated to have only 336 individuals left. LobsterLift therefore developed a leash-free, self-surfacing and modular lobster trap retrieval system that is safe for marine mammals while taking into account the needs of local fishermen.

The idea was born in 2018 at the ConservationXLabs competition in Malaysia. The engineers involved developed the system on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes. This enabled them to simulate their idea in virtual space from the very first step of the project and to efficiently organise the collaboration between team members and partners from different fields. The start-up is also supported as part of the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab, an open innovation lab that brings together virtual technologies, a collaborative approach and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Through the 3DEXPERIENCE Lab and its other start-up programmes, Dassault Systèmes supports young companies that develop sustainable innovations to protect the planet and the oceans. This is not only in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, but also with Dassault Systèmes' corporate objectives, which have sustainability firmly at their core, with the aim of reconciling product, nature and people.

www.3ds.com

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