122 The World Ocean Council aims to establish a Centre of Excellence on Circularity and Circular Materials to clean up the oceans by reducing waste, such as plastics and packaging INTERVIEW as benchmarks for the global shipping industry and beyond. This broad approach will lead to a healthier ocean and reduced ecological footprints, while ensuring a safer and more secure and efficient maritime environment. What type of partners are you looking to work with and how can they get involved? We’re keen to forge partnerships with an extensive network of stakeholders that goes beyond the traditional green shipping actors. This includes maritime businesses, technology startups, investors, policymakers, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and community groups from various geographical regions. Our partners are instrumental in providing the innovation, funding and regulatory frameworks for advancing our projects. Moreover, we aim to engage stakeholders from diverse geographies, including but not limited to North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the broader European coast, the Middle East, and global entities interested in developing sustainable maritime practices. This global collaboration enriches our perspective and enhances the scalability of our solutions. Interested parties from all sectors and regions are warmly encouraged to get involved by joining our CoE, participating in joint industry projects and contributing to the development of pilot projects. These projects are designed to be tested in real-world environments in key maritime locations around the world, thereby fostering a wide-reaching impact on global maritime practices. Do you plan to establish similar CoEs elsewhere in the world? While the first phase is focused on establishing a robust foundation in the Mediterranean, our vision extends much further. We’re actively exploring opportunities to replicate and adapt this successful model for other sea basins and regions globally. For instance, we’re considering expanding into areas like Latin America and Asia, where maritime activities are integral to local economies and ecosystems but face unique challenges and opportunities for sustainable blue economy development. In addition to geographic expansion, the WOC plans to establish additional CoEs that focus on specific thematic areas. One initiative is a CoE on Circularity and Circular Materials, which will delve into practice and products, packaging, building and reuse, and everything from ship recycling to plastics, wastewater and biofuels. This will address the urgent need for reducing waste and promoting recycling and reuse across maritime operations. These developments represent our commitment to expand our reach and deepen our impact by addressing a broad spectrum of sustainability challenges across the global maritime sector. This long-term strategy underscores our dedication to fostering global collaboration and innovation in pursuit of a sustainable maritime future. To join the Centre of Excellence on Green Shipping, visit: bit.ly/43Cei16 Photo: iStock/ArtMarie
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