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i'm curious about the split between capital versus philanthropic funding for an operation like this. i feel certain that this relatively new (sub?)industry—wat
by nickburns 3y ago
i'm curious about the split between capital versus philanthropic funding for an operation like this.
i feel certain that this relatively new (sub?)industry—waterway/ocean waste management—is here to stay for a very long time. but i struggle to see how it could ever turn a profit, unless and until they're able to generate revenue/s from the waste they're retrieving. it all feels like a fascinatingly super long play.
- BizarroLand 3y agoI imagine that it is not onerously expensive to run, and it's a good way for larger companies to look like they care by throwing a few nickels their way. Further, I imagine that for some cities, the potential increase in tourism from having clean waters might be worth the investment.
- dang 3y agoSorry for the offtopicness - would you mind putting an email address in your profile so we can send you repost invites? I was able to re-up* the current thread but it was right on the cusp of being too old for that system to work; in which case I would have tried (but failed) to email you a repost link! (Btw the email field in user profiles is only seen by admins.) * System described at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998309 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26998309 and links back from there
- cdrini 3y agoThis isn't meant to be an industry; the founder, Boyan Slat, has said a few times that the goal of this organisation is to no longer be needed in the future, iirc. But at the same time: there's a lot of plastic in the ocean! It's a non profit org, although they did have an effort a few years ago where they created fancy sunglasses from the plastic they removed, and raised more money from there. The Wikipedia page lists a number of big donation campaigns/big partners who provide funding.