Martin Koehring - Global Sustainability and Ocean Expert

Around 75% of clothing end up in landfills and less than 1% are being recycled into new clothing. How can clothes be designed to last longer, be reused, and be recycled into new clothes at their end of life? Find out in the latest episode of Economist Impact’s “Inside the Circle” podcast, hosted by me.

For World Oceans Day I moderated a World Ocean Summit Insight Hour on ocean innovation. The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-30) has started. However, the UN Sustainable Development Goals on life below water (SDG14) remains the most underfunded goal. The ocean needs innovative, passionate leaders to drive the sustainable blue economy.

Today is World Oceans Day! Economist Impact’s World Ocean Initiative is a media partner of the United Nations World Oceans Day. Following a presentation on “The value of a living ocean” by Ralph Chami, I will be moderating the in-person panel discussion on “A Revitalized Ocean Economy” at UN Headquarters in New York.

As Europe emerges from covid-19, the focus is on economic recovery and a triple transition of climate, digital and social change. Different types of capital and different systems are needed to serve new forms and flows of value. I am moderating a webinar on social impact, based on new Economist Impact research that I directed.

Join me for Economist Impact's 2nd annual "Sustainability Week US: How will the promise of a green future be kept?" next week (between June 6th and June 9th), virtually and in Washington, DC for a week full of practical case-study sessions, interviews and closed roundtables.

The global food system accounts for 30% of carbon emissions. Yet a third of food is lost or wasted yearly. How can we redesign food products and food systems in line with a circular economy? Find out in the latest episode of Economist Impact's "Inside the Circle" podcast, hosted by me.

The International Day for Biodiversity and World Tuna Day—both observed in May—highlight the critical importance of safeguarding marine biodiversity and the livelihoods that depend on a healthy, abundant ocean. Read more for an overview of recent coverage on ocean biodiversity from the World Ocean Initiative.

Will we be prepared for the shift to electric vehicles? What can we do to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles? These are just a few of the topics that I will discuss at the Electric Vehicle Innovation Summit #EVIS2022 in Abu Dhabi between May 23rd and 25th.

I will be presenting at a webinar on communicating sustainability. Communicating the benefits—as well as challenges—of embarking on sustainability initiatives, based on evidence and transparency, is crucial in overcoming greenwashing and creating real-world impact.

Transitioning to a circular economy for plastics is complex. In this episode of Inside the Circle, a podcast from Economist Impact hosted by me, we explore the innovative upstream and downstream design solutions being pioneered and the policies and incentives needed to scale these up.

Building a sustainable ocean economy requires all hands on deck. Read more for an overview of recent coverage and events on blue innovation and tech by the World Ocean Initiative.

This week I will be joining 6,000+ islanders from around the world at the Island Finance Forum organised by Island Innovation. Following an opening keynote by His Excellency Surangel Whipps Jr, President, Republic of Palau, I will moderate a session on "Building a Blue Future: Harnessing the Hope of the Ocean".

I am delighted to present about "The nuances of net zero and the new EU taxonomy" at the European Broadcasting Union's Sustainability Summit. I will be joined by my colleague Emily Jackson-Kessler, SVP Sustainability, who will speak about The Economist Group's approach to climate risk.

Just 1.2% of seafarers are women. In March we mark International Women’s Day and Gender Equality month as an opportunity to reflect on the deep gender divides and inequalities that exist across ocean industries, while celebrating the (often undervalued) contributions of women towards the burgeoning blue economy.

I moderated five sessions at Economist Impact's Sustainability Week between Monday March 21st and Thursday March 24th, on topics such as investing in nature, the road to nature-positive, and farming for the future. On the in-person day in London on March 22nd I moderated sessions on materials and technology, and measuring the S in ESG.

I presented Economist Impact research on "Decarbonising Technologies for Cities" at the "Making Media Technology Sustainable" event by the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London. The event also featured industry experts from the BBC, Greening of Streaming, Plum Consulting and the DIMPACT Project.

The 2022 World Ocean Summit focused on achieving 2030 goals. 174 speakers engaged the audience with tangible solutions, real-life examples and action-oriented strategies to achieve these goals. We have heard about action beyond ambition, and strategies to achieve commitments.

It’s Day 3 of Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit! I interviewed Peggy Kalas, director of the High Seas Alliance, on protecting biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Negotiations for a treaty on BBNJ—or high seas treaty—began in 2018 and there is hope that there will be a breakthrough this year.

It’s Day 3 of Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit! I moderated a plenary panel discussion on using data to drive investment. I was joined by Dag Sletmo, senior vice-president, DNB; Suzanne Johnson, senior advisor ocean, United Nations Global Compact and head of sustainability, Lloyd’s Register Foundation; and Grant Cavanaugh, chief investment officer, Scoot Science.

It’s Day 2 of Economist Impact’s World Ocean Summit! I moderated a plenary panel discussion on high hopes for seaweed. I was joined by Caroline Slootweg, co-founder of Kelp Blue; Bill Collins, chairman of Cascadia Seaweed; and Dodon Yamin, managing director of MARI Oceans Indonesia.