Oct 10, 2017

METSTRADE 2017, which opens its doors in the RAI Amsterdam convention centre on Tuesday 14 November, will showcase its commitment to sustainability in the leisure marine industry. One of the key areas will be on the various items on the issue.

Two expert panel/audience debate sessions on the subject of sustainability in the marine industry are scheduled for the Innovation Stage during the first two days of the METSTRADE Show. Both will see contributions from a panel of industry experts with technical or commercial backgrounds relevant to the subject matter.

 The audience will be encouraged to ask questions and provide input. At the end of both sessions the moderator will go over the key outcomes of the debates and summarise any points of action that can be taken by the industry in the future.

End-of-life considerations for boats
On 14 November the Innovation Stage programme will include activities on the subject of the end-of-life of boats. This will involve a roundup of the latest developments from various countries and marine organisations related to this substantial threat to future sustainability, which could potentially affect as many as 40 million boats around the world in the coming decades. The session will aim to bring the subject to a wider audience, and encourage a more entrepreneurial focus on ways to address the challenges while keeping track of financial realities.

The panel will be moderated by Albert Willemsen, environmental consultant at ICOMIA, and include Neil Chapman (CEO of Boatshed.com), Willem Dekker (president of the European Boating Association), Jeroen van den Heuvel (HISWA membership manager), Pierre Barbleu (president of the APER boat dismantling network, France) and Albert ten Busschen (professor of plastics technology at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences).

Adapting to future environmental demands
On 15 November the Innovation Stage will focus on the leisure marine industry’s plans to cope with future requirements in terms of environmental regulations and expectations. It will look at how boat design and construction techniques can be adapted to minimise the harmful impact on the environment over their entire lifecycle without reducing profitability and growth. Ways to follow environmental trends set by other sectors, such as those seen in the circular economy, will also be considered.
Moderated by Patrick Hemp, technical manager of ICOMIA, the panel will feature Christoph Ballin (CEO/co-founder of Torqeedo), Renaud Tourte (R&D director of the Beneteau Group Boats Division), Michaël Steenhof (yacht building manager at HISWA) and Shyaam Ramkumar (knowledge & innovation manager at Circle Economy).

“After the successful conferences on environmental issues held alongside the two previous METSTRADE Shows, we are now bringing sustainability into the heart of the event for the 2017 edition,” comments RAI Amsterdam’s Maritime Director Irene Dros. “This will enable us to reach the widest possible audience.”