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Rabat – Saad Abid, a Moroccan activist and environmentalist, has clinched the prestigious OceanLove Innovation Award in the Netherlands for his invention in ocean conservation, “The Chbika.” His innovative micro-waste tool emerged victorious among a competitive pool of entries from 38 countries.
In his acceptance speech on Wednesday in the Hague, Abid expressed both surprise and gratitude, saying, “I was already going to be happy if I was gonna be one of the five finalists, because it’s the first time ever that we participate in a contest.”
Abid’s “The Chbika” is designed to efficiently collect and manage micro-waste, which poses a significant threat to marine life and ecosystems. Micro-waste, consisting of tiny plastic particles and other pollutants, often goes unnoticed but has a devastating impact on marine biodiversity.
The Moroccan activist’s invention aims to address this issue with a practical, scalable solution that can be implemented in coastal regions worldwide.
Abid elaborated on the origins and development of his tool. He explained that his background as a surfer and tennis player inspired the initial concept. During beach cleanups, they used a tool designed to filter small particles, an idea sparked by a tennis-related cleaning tool.
The real motivation for developing “The Chbika” came from a tragic incident in his community that lacked resources. A child stepped on a rusty can and subsequently died due to lack of medical resources.
This heartbreaking event motivated Abid and his team to create a tool that could detect and remove hidden trash, particularly microplastics, from the sand to prevent such accidents.
“We know that microplastic is a big problem all over the world. And we started developing this in 2016. And in 2022, one video made it viral at 14 million views on Instagram. And a lot of people got inspired by this video,” he added.
This widespread interest encouraged them to further develop the tool, Abid said, emphasizing not only its practical utility in removing microplastics but also its role in raising awareness about hidden pollutants in the sand and promoting environmental protection.
He also highlighted his team’s commitment to making the tool accessible to everyone. The team plans to use 100% of the award money to create a new website and upload user manuals in multiple languages to ensure that people worldwide can reproduce and use the tool locally. In addition, they are working on recycling aluminum cans to produce a lighter version of “The Chbika” to make it even more efficient and affordable.
Inaugurated in January 2024, the OceanLove Innovation Award is an initiative by OceanLove, a global non-profit organization dedicated to ocean conservation. The award seeks to inspire and recognize individuals and teams from around the world who develop creative solutions for protecting the ocean and its ecosystems.
This year’s award saw a diverse range of submissions, particularly from the Global South, with finalists from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa.
The award was judged by a distinguished panel of scientists and activists from eight countries, chaired by Sian Owen, Executive Director of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.
