Martin Koehring - Global Sustainability and Ocean Expert

Today is World EV Day, celebrating sustainable e-mobility! The UK is preparing for the ban of new sales of petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030. I am the project director of the rEV Index, produced by The Economist Group and sponsored by bp, exploring how we can best prepare ourselves for the transition.

Between August 27th 2021 and September 3rd 2021 I took part in the Climate Opportunity Leaders Retreat at European Forum Alpbach. As part of my participation, I moderated an important session on "Greening the Blue Economy – Linking Ocean Health and Wealth".

It's World Water Week this week, organised by SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute. The Economist Group's World Ocean Initiative is an official outreach partner of the week. I am participating in today's Accelerator on Communication and Behaviour Change, aimed at highlighting levers that can speed up and intensify our impact.

I moderated this World Ocean Summit Insight Hour, which examined how to increase sustainability in aquaculture supply chains. It will highlight the role of retailers in influencing best-practice operations throughout the value chain. Speakers will identify key steps for seafood processors, fish farmers, feed suppliers and technology developers as they scale production.

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food-production sector globally and is vital for feeding our growing population. But there are challenges facing the industry. More than half of consumers do not trust seafood, with one in five of all fish sold mislabelled. Read an overview of recent coverage on sustainable aquaculture from the World Ocean Initiative.

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution. The World Ocean Initiative's coverage includes research on the value that can be extracted from plastic waste, an article exploring what’s in our plastic waste, and summary articles of recent webinars and events.

To find out more about how G20 countries are performing on the latest Food Sustainability Index, read a new report and watch the launch webinar that I moderated.

The first phase of a new research project that I am directing, on "Rethinking plastics in a circular economy", sponsored by Dow, has just been released. There is significant value to extract from plastic waste. Scaling up advanced chemical recycling technologies could help close the loop and create a circular system for plastic waste.

On July 7th I moderated a World Ocean Summit Insight Hour on how business can be a key driver behind restoring the regenerative capacity of critical ecosystems. I was joined by leading scientists, conservationists and executives to discuss key solutions to restore ocean health and create both socio-economic and ecological value.

Happy to announce the launch of a new Economist Intelligence Unit research project that I led, on how environmental, governance and social factors are shaping our future. The research is based on a survey of 450 institutional investors. It explores the ongoing shift of ESG from risk to opportunity.