Rethinking Plastic, Restoring Oceans: RHINOSHIELD’s Circular Approach to Sustainability

💡Do you know how much plastic waste enters our oceans every year?
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2024), more than 14 million tons of plastic waste flow into the oceans annually, making up 80% of all marine debris.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals report further reveals that 89% of this is single-use plastic (such as shopping bags), causing over USD 13 billion in economic losses each year.

However, the most dangerous threats are often invisible:
Microplastics and nano-plastics have infiltrated entire marine ecosystems, entered plankton and fish, and ultimately returned to the human food chain.

Plastic pollution is not just an environmental challenge — it’s an intergenerational ecological crisis.
The only way forward is to redesign products, manufacturing processes, and recycling systems with circularity at their core.

According to WWF, plastic pollution now negatively affects over 90% of marine species worldwide:

- Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and ingest them

- Corals face accelerated bleaching due to microplastic coverage

- Whales swallow indigestible debris that blocks their digestive systems

- Seabirds feed plastic fragments to their chicks

- Microplastics accumulate across the food chain, eventually reaching humans

When plastic enters the wrong system, it becomes “Zombie Plastic” — persisting for decades, disrupting ecosystems, and threatening marine life.

In June 2024, two major international conferences in Nice, France advanced global ocean protection efforts:

One Ocean Science Congress (OOSC)

- Brought together 2,000+ global scientists
- Addressed the world’s five major ocean challenges
- Proposed ten actionable strategies submitted to the UN Ocean Agenda

3rd United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3)

- 170+ countries adopted the declaration “Our Ocean, Our Future: United for Urgent Action”
- Four key goals were highlighted:
1. Expand marine protected areas
2. Reduce carbon emissions from shipping
3. Tackle plastic pollution
4. Support small island and coastal nations

Looking ahead, three key initiatives will shape ocean governance:
- July: International negotiations on deep-sea mining
- August: Progress on the Global Plastics Treaty
- End of 2024: Advancing the BBNJ Agreement on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction

Systemic solutions and corporate responsibility are crucial to driving lasting change.

Beach cleanups and recycling campaigns are vital, but true solutions must start with design:

- Mono-material innovation: Avoid mixed materials that complicate recycling
- Recyclability-first mindset: Design products for reuse from the start
- Global design standardization: Improve recovery and reuse rates worldwide

A successful transition to a circular economy requires reducing plastic production at its source, extending product lifecycles, and strengthening global recycling infrastructure.

As a material technology brand, RHINOSHIELD extends its mission of “protection” beyond devices — to protecting the planet.

The CircularBlue™ Initiative

In 2023, we launched the CircularBlue™ Marine Waste Filtration Platform, developing our first prototype, “ChangeMaker”, to tackle plastic pollution with innovation:

- Dual-mode filtration system: Captures both floating debris and microplastics
- Modular design: Adapts to diverse marine environments
- Low environmental impact: Energy-efficient, avoiding secondary pollution
- AI-powered automation: Enhances efficiency and scalability


RHINOSHIELD co-founder and CEO Eric Wang shares:

“Our mission has always been about protection. Beyond protecting devices, we believe it’s our responsibility to protect the Earth. Through scalable technology, we aim to make ocean cleanup smarter, faster, and more impactful.”

The prototype is expected to enter offshore trials in 2025, marking a significant step toward applying automation, AI, and circular design to address marine debris.

Plastic itself isn’t inherently harmful; mismanagement and poor design are.

Through mono-material engineering, recycled material innovation, and the CircularBlue™ platform, RHINOSHIELD transforms plastic from a single-use liability into a renewable resource — fulfilling our commitments and leading the way toward a sustainable future.


🔗 Learn more about the CircularBlue™ initiative
▶️ Watch the project video

- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Marine Plastic Pollution: Issues Brief (April 2024). International Union for Conservation of Nature.

- UN SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2023: Special Edition.

- WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). Impact of Plastic Pollution in the Oceans on Marine Species, Biodiversity and Ecosystems (February 2022).

- Environmental Information Center. “Better than Expected” — Outcomes of the Nice Ocean Conference: High Seas Treaty Expected to be Realized, Multiple Countries Expand Marine Protected Areas.

- UNOC3 (United Nations Ocean Conference). Third United Nations Ocean Conference, Nice 2025.
- One Ocean Science Congress. OOS 2025, Science for Ocean Action Manifesto.

- BBNJ Agreement (United Nations BBNJ Agreement). Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.

- UN Press Release. Nice Ocean Action Plan Signals Political Will for Global Action to Protect the Ocean.