'Fall in love with the problem': Keys to innovation from Ecuadorian inventor Inty Grønneberg

"If humans have the technology to send a device to a comet, why don't we have the technology to tackle the problem of plastic pollution?"

This was the question Grønneberg and his partner asked themselves when creating a prototype that would win international awards years later.

For the Ecuadorian scientist, who was recognised as Latin America's Inventor of the Year in 2018, the world has become accustomed to some problems that should not be considered "normal." Plastic pollution is one of them.

"When you become critical and curious and simply try to perceive reality more, you start noticing things that shouldn’t be that way, that should be different," Grønneberg said in an interview with Global South World.

According to the UN Environment's 2018 State of Plastics Report, around 13 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean every year. Experts warn that if we continue at this rate, by 2050, the weight of plastics in the oceans could exceed that of the fish.

"Sometimes these figures are mentioned as if they were insignificant, but they are actually huge. A single water bottle weighs 12 grammes," the activist explains.

Plastic in the oceans not only pollutes marine species but also humans. As it degrades, it turns into microplastics that are consumed by marine species and, consequently, by humans as well.

To combat this issue, Inty Grønneberg has founded a startup called Ichthion and developed Azure, a technology that extracts plastic from rivers and collects data to better understand where it comes from.

"Between 60% and 80% of the waste that pollutes the ocean travels through rivers," he explains. "Our goal is to understand why the waste reached the river in the first place and, from there, to propose preventive actions.”

The Ecuadorian inventor believes these preventive measures have more impact than extracting plastic from the rivers, as they tackle the root of the problem.

"We don't want to industrialise plastic extraction. We want to prevent plastic from reaching the rivers. That's our goal."

Azure has an artificial intelligence system that takes pictures of what is extracted and provides real-time data to better understand this type of pollution. The technology is already operating in Ecuador, and the goal is to scale up and expand it throughout Latin America.

In addition to that system, the startup has also created a line of products called Galapaxy. Grønneberg explains that the company aims to raise awareness that when people buy something made of plastic, they are mainly buying the plastic itself.

“When you buy a plastic bottle with water in it, the water represents only 10-12% of the actual cost.”

The startup not only proposes non-disposable bottles but is also installing systems for people to refill their water bottles. The team is also developing other products using materials extracted from the rivers for construction purposes, such as sewer systems.

Grønneberg explains that, in addition to fighting plastic pollution, Ichthion also addresses social issues. The extracted plastic is also given to “waste pickers,” who collect recyclable material for sale in Latin America.

"In Ecuador, more than 20,000 people are engaged in this activity. 68% are women heads of households. They earn half of a basic salary for working six days a week."

Grønneberg adds that, in the region, it is not possible to simply copy industrialised European recycling processes.

“Our work is also about trying to help waste pickers to have higher volumes of plastic and improve their income,” he explains.

Ichthion is also conducting research on the “lechuguín”, an invasive plant that grows rapidly in rivers and depletes oxygen levels, which could be turned into organic fertiliser and even biofuel.

What are the startup's main findings?

According to Ichthion, plastic pollution in Ecuador's rivers originates from various sources and varies between rivers. However, the startup has identified two main causes: the lack of waste management by both the population and municipalities.

When people throw waste on the streets or into sewers, rain washes it into the rivers. In some areas, the municipality doesn't collect the waste properly, leaving the population with no place to dispose of rubbish and leading many to throw it into the rivers. El Milagro community within the Picoazá sector in Portoviejo is one of the places Ichthion cites as an example. It highlights that work to improve the situation has begun in the area, but efforts are still needed.

When asked about the most common types of rubbish in the rivers, Ichthion noted that, although it can vary depending on the location, their system mostly finds single-use plastic bottles, primarily from drinks but also from cleaning products such as shampoos, chlorine, disinfectants, and detergents. The startup also finds flexible foam waste, such as takeaway food packaging. Soft plastic items, such as food wrappers, are also commonly collected, and shoes and footballs or plastic balls can also be extracted from some rivers. Other materials, such as glass bottles, metal bottles, and cans, are found to a lesser extent.

What is the secret to innovation?

For the Ecuadorian entrepreneur, the secret of innovation lies in generating solutions to the problems facing our society.

"The innovation process is much less romantic than the creative process and much more technical," he explains. "If you want to create an invention that will be commercialised, you need to have a deep understanding of the need you want to address."

For that, you have to "fall in love with the problem, not the solution." According to Grønneberg, this is key to maintaining motivation in all phases of a project.

"Sometimes developing technology, inventions, and innovation is a long and difficult process. It's a process where you might hit a wall 100 times, receive a thousand 'nos' and maybe four 'yeses'."

Grønneberg recalls the high failure rate of startups: eight out of ten business initiatives will never be commercialised.

"Being able to maintain the drive to push your project forward has to do with how passionate you are about solving a problem," he explains.

The activist emphasises that the climate crisis urgently needs solutions, and for the first time in human history, "we are facing problems that could destroy our society." But with these challenges also come opportunities arising from the green economy.

"It's a path that humanity must inevitably follow if we want to survive the effects of climate change."

For the entrepreneur, innovation in Latin America must also address other issues, such as inequality and gender violence.

"We need a lot of innovation and the input of many people to identify these problems and try to solve them."

The scientist adds that Latin America doen't lack people with good ideas but rather opportunities and systems that foster innovation and entrepreneurship. This is why his startup Ichthion is based in the United Kingdom.

Grønneberg concludes: “There are many problems facing humanity today that we haven’t solved because we haven’t allocated resources, technology and knowledge. If we did, we could solve them.”