The Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit aims to mobilize all organizations in the plastic value chain. We found the most effective way to make this happen is to take stakeholders to the heart of the epidemic – the ocean gyres
From the largest global corporations to their staunchest critics, the NGOs, representatives across the plastic value chain spent four days together on a boat in the North Atlantic Ocean. Seeing the crisis up close and in tight quarters, industry leaders were forced to find solutions and spearhead new initiatives.
Much more than an industry conference, the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit inspired partnerships, programs and the action necessary to shift our current global course.
The first event to bring together leading organizations from the plastics supply chain, on a boat, in the North Atlantic Ocean gyre.
North Atlantic Gyre Summit - May 2019
In 2019, we invited 165 leaders representing corporations, NGOs and government organizations, on a ship bound for the Sargasso Sea – home to the North Atlantic Ocean Gyre. This area’s unique Sargasm seaweed ecosytem, acts as a net for plastic, tallowig participants to see the gravity of the epidemic first hand.
By curating break out groups of attendees, allowing opposing interests within the plastic supply chain, to discuss the problems they face and create mutually beneficial solutions that meet the following goals:
- Achieve PCR Product Goals
- Seek Alternative Materials
- Build Viable Supply Chains
- Build a Plastic Off-Set Credits Market
- Out of this Summit, four new Action Accelerators were born.
POW (Plastic Pickers Operational Working Group) The single largest issue for waste pickers has been access and empowerment within global markets. This program aims to offer health care, living wage training, and micro-financing loans with project funding.
Zero Plastic Waste Communities This exercise in bringing the circular economy (and a zero plastic waste footprint) to coastal and island villages of the Global South and share those learnings with similar sized areas.
Zero Hero This program was developed with the intention of educating consumers on alternatives to plastic with best-in-class packaging solutions.
Material Metabolism Based on the foundational principles of Green Chemistry, this multi-stakeholder shared IP factory aims to develop new materials as an alternative to replace plastics.
165 Attendees
80 Leading Brands + NGOs
4.5 Days
4 Global Initiatives Developed
From Activist to Industry
Leveraging the expertise of our OPLN member network, we develop ongoing experiential, action-oriented summits, both virtual and on-the-ground. By gathering this diverse range of interests, we invariably create a healthy tension to find common ground and address everyone’s best interests at speed and scale.