South African joins international panel to discuss resilience of marine businesses

Marine Impact Lab programme brings policy, propulsion and finance into focus at Metstrade

How marine businesses respond to regulation, adopt alternative propulsion and fund sustainability projects will be in focus at the Marine Impact Lab at Metstrade later this month.

Veda Pretorius of IFBSO and the African Boating Conference will join an international panel of experts that include ICOMIA’s Patrick Hemp, ePropulsion’s Yann Herriot, Rick Wall of RAI Amsterdam and OCEANOVATION, sustainability specialist Dr Susie Tomson, Composite Recycling’s Dr Pascal Gallo, nlcomp’s Alessandro Stagni and Gurit’s Paolo Manganelli.

Taking place on Monday 16 November at RAI Amsterdam, the Lab combines two practical workshops with eight expert-led Topic Tables, giving participants space to work through the decisions facing their businesses.

In “Sustainable Design Principles”, led by Marine Futures, participants will learn how lifecycle assessment can guide lower-impact boat design, then apply those principles in a team challenge. In the challenge, teams will use a simulator to choose materials, propulsion and energy systems for virtual boats, then race them in speed, slalom and endurance events.

Developed by Marine Futures and inspired by the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, the simulator uses real boat designs and actual life-cycle assessment results from MarineShift360, a purpose-built Life Cycle Assessment tool for the marine industry, to explore the trade-offs between race performance and environmental impact.

Foxall Munro’s “Selling Sustainability” workshop will use The Toolbox, a free online sustainability strategy platform that helps organisations develop, implement and improve sustainability programmes, to help participants build the business case for sustainability, engage stakeholders, and secure investment through practical frameworks. In partnership with DAME and Yachting Ventures, marine industry innovators and start-ups will learn how to embed sustainability into their value proposition and future-proof their businesses.

“The people choosing materials and specifying components have a huge influence on a boat’s environmental impact. We want participants to leave with the knowledge and confidence to challenge assumptions and a clearer idea of what they can change in their own business,” said Ollie Taylor, founder and director of Marine Futures.

The eight Topic Tables will tackle questions ranging from when composite recycling makes sense to how businesses can fund sustainability projects and attract new talent. Participants can bring challenges from their own businesses and work through them with experts and peers.

“We all depend on a healthy ocean, and every organisation in this industry has a part to play in looking after it. Through The Toolbox, we help teams understand their impacts, agree their priorities and work out how to move forward together,” said Damian Foxall, director of Foxall Munro.

Delivered by Marine Futures, Foxall Munro and Metstrade, the Lab combines product design with organisational sustainability. Marine Futures and Foxall Munro’s work on the Lab is supported by 11th Hour Racing.

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