Impressive line-up for marine sustainability conference
Focus on ocean conservation and circular economy starts off the METSTRADE Week in RAI Amsterdam.
The main speakers have been announced for the Sustainability in the Marine Industry conference on Monday 14 November, the day before the 2016 METSTRADE Show opens its doors. Illustrating the importance of this event, the conference will be chaired by Udo Kleinitz, Secretary General of ICOMIA and the key speakers will include Willem Dekker, President of European Boating Association and Mirna Cieniewicz, Secretary General of European Boating Industry.
The Sustainability in the Marine Industry conference is a direct follow-up to last year’s successful Future of Yacht Recycling conference, which was also held on the first day of METSTRADE Week. It is being jointly organised by Quaynote Communications and YachtMedia, hosted by METSTRADE and technically supported by ICOMIA.
“This second conference is assured of an impressive line-up of acknowledged marine industry experts, together with a broad-based international audience,” says YachtMedia’s Peter Franklin. “We already have speakers and panelists booked from organisations which are leading the way in promoting and developing the concepts of ocean conservation and the circular economy within the leisure marine sector. Our industry ultimately relies on the health and biodiversity of our seas and waterways, and the unifying message of the conference will be that cleaner seas and more sustainable products support growth.”
Questions and answers.
The Sustainability in the Marine Industry Conference will pose the question: How can adopting a Circular Economy framework make sound business/financial sense for our marine industry, as well as improving the prospects for future environmental sustainability?
In addition to Udo Kleinitz, Willem Dekker and Mirna Cieniewicz, the other prominent speakers, panelists and moderators addressing this issue will be Els Zijlstra, creative director at the Materia Group (the Netherlands), Patrick Hemp, technical manager at ICOMIA, Barbara Fountoukos, communications manager at ICOMIA, Brian Clark, head of external relations at British Marine (UK), Per Hökfelt, sustainability director at Diab Group (Sweden), Enrico Benco, CEO of GS4C (Go Sailing for a Change – Italy.) and Albert Willemsen, environmental consultant at ICOMIA.
America’s Cup sustainability in focus.
The mission statement of the Land Rover BAR (Ben Ainslie Racing) America’s Cup team, sums up their vision when it comes to sustainability: “We are committed to becoming the most sustainable sports team we can be. ”
The conference organisers are delighted to announce that Susie Tompson the Sustainability Manager for Land Rover BAR has agreed to speak and join an expert panel during the event.
Susie’s team have been busy with projects designed to learn from Life Cycle Assessment on their carbon fibre constructed racing yachts, and finding practical solutions for effectively and economically recycling them at end of life.
BLUE thinking.
Also present will be Rory Moore and Sara-Jane Skinner from BLUE Marine Foundation, Supporting Sponsors of the conference programme. With a target to create vital marine reserves in 10% of the world’s oceans by 2020, BLUE has already helped create some of the largest marine reserves in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
It has also created a new model for sustainable fishing on the south coast of England with the potential to be replicated around the coast of Britain and beyond. BLUE’s work is well supported by yacht owners who recognise the important contribution the foundation makes to the health of the sailing environment.
A memorable programme.
After a welcome speech by Geert Dijks, managing director of HISWA Holland Marine Industry, the conference programme will kick off with an update on the progress made with the dismantling and recycling of End-Of-Life-Boats, the main subject of last year’s conference.
This will be followed by a session on ‘Life Cycle Assessment’, looking at real lifetime costs of boating from raw materials, manufacturing, energy input, energy consumption, emission of greenhouse gases through to the dismantling and recycling at End-of-Life.
The afternoon will continue with discussions on the ‘Circular Economy’, exploring what it really means and how it might relate to the marine industry. Comparisons will be made with how other industries are accepting and adapting to this concept.
Based on feedback from last year’s event, the next session will be: ‘Designing and constructing boats for easier dismantling and environmentally responsible recycling in the future.’ It will feature a look at the naval architects/designers viewpoint, with practical examples of how design principles are changing to meet this requirement.
Developments in sustainable materials will also be reviewed, examining which materials are available now and in the future that can genuinely meet the demands of marine use at an acceptable cost level while still being 100% recyclable or biodegradable.
Networking and an exclusive tour.
Delegates and participants will also enjoy a lunch sponsored by METSTRADE and have ample opportunity for business networking during the two-hour pre conference registration period and coffee breaks. The delegates will end the day with an exclusive VIP tour of the 2016 Materials Xperience Display.
This large range of innovative construction and manufacturing materials is presented by Materia, a global network organisation connecting naval architects, designers and boat manufacturers with materials that add value to their projects.
Conference information
Individual delegate fees: € 350
Early Bird rate: € 275 (now available for a limited period)
Detailed brochure: http://bit.ly/1Yv5HCJ
Event website and registration page: http://bit.ly/1XmP5yv
Or go to: www.quaynote.com (Click on ‘Yachts’.)
General enquiries to: alison@quaynote.com