Events

Knowledge sharing and collaboration are important to us

We host conferences, network meetings, mini-seminars, and workshops, where the sharing of results and experiences from our projects and of knowledge between the participants is in focus

Upcoming events

We are currently planning the activities for 2024. Keep an eye out for upcoming events on our website and LinkedIn.

Previous events

Online conference: Ocean Plastic International Matchmaking – OPIM 23

5 December 2023

On the 5th of December our fifth annual edition of the onling matchmaking event Ocean Plastic International Matchmaking took place – bringing stakeholders together to overcome ocean plastic pollution. This year was truly an international event with 90 participants representing more than 70 different companies, universities, agencies and networks from 25 countries all over the world.

With focus on long-term solutions and current developments the three keynote speakers highlighted within the ocean plastic prevention and recycling domain:

  1. The need for a global plastic treaty /The European Environment Agency
  2. Innovative ways to combat the pressing issue /The Ocean Cleanup
  3. How to fund initiatives and projects /Innovayt

Concrete projects were presented by DESMI Ro-Clean, The SeaCleaners, Malta Enterprise and Aalborg University in this year’s innovative track – all with different approaches of combating ocean plastic pollution.

Throughout the day participants had been able to pre-book meetings with each other, and we were happy to see that more than a 100 meeting took place. Ocean plastic pollution is a global challenge, and no single entity or organization can solve it alone. Collaboration across borders and industries allows for coordinated actions on a larger scale, enabling more effective strategies and impactful initiatives. Bringing stakeholders together like this fosters innovation and creates new networks, ensuring a continued focus on long-term solutions.

In OPF we are proud to have been part of paving the way for a number of future partnerships – and we would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who participated in the event.

Keep a look out for next year’s event at www.opim.info!

Ajour business conference

November 23-24, 2023
Odense Congress Center

On November 23-24, Ocean Plastic Forum participated in the annual business conference Ajour. 

Ajour is the meeting point for maritime engineers and others interested in management and technological innovation, aiming to strengthen their proffesional networks and prepare for future technical and  commercial challenges. 

This year was particulary special as, in collaboration with several of our members and other partners, we organized Denmark’s largest exhibition showcasing products made from ocean plastic and maritime plastic waste. The exhibition drew significant interest from numerous attendes, who stopped by to explore it and learn more about OPF’s activities. 

During the conference, OPF announced our idea competition for students at the maritime engineering schools all over the country. The competition is aimed towards generating creative ideas and concrete project proposals to support OPF’s efforts in combating ocean plastic pollution, and increasing the recycling of plastics collected from the sea and beaches. We had many interesting conversations with the students, and look forward to seeing the outcome. 

The exhibition succesfully demonstrated to over 1000 conference attendes that ocean plastic can be transformed into products that not only contribute to combating plastic pollution but are also functional, well-designed, and even suitable for mass production.  

Textile conference: from waste to resource

October 31, 2023
Roskilde University

On October 31st, in collaboration with the Danish Fashion & Textile Association and Roskilde University, Ocean Plastic Forum held the conference “From Waste to Resource: at a crossroads – cirkular fibers in the textile and plastic industries”.

The conference was a great success in bringing together more than 50 representatives from various Danish and international companies for a discussion and mutual inspiration on the challenges and opportunities related to recycling fibers from the plastic and textile industries. The day included a series of presentations by experts in the field, with active participation from an engaged audience and a number of constructive discussions.

The three main points collectively discussed were:

– The necessity of thinking in value chains

– The need for engagement from the public sector

– Cooperation between partners is the key

As emphasized bt Head of Secretary, Thomas Alstrup, this conference was just the first – but definetly not the last – attempt to bring together stakeholders from both industries. In OPF, we hope to pave the way for numerous collaborations across the industries, and we eagerly anticipate what the future holds for circular fibers at the crossroads of the plastic and textile industries.

Mini Seminar: Quality of Recycled Plastic – Opportunities and Challenges

June 20, 2023
ErhvervsAkademi Sydvest, Spangsbjerg Kirkevej 103, 6700 Esbjerg

Note: This event has already taken place

On June 20, 2023, the Ocean Plastic Forum, in collaboration with the Danish Material Network, held a mini seminar on the quality of recycled plastic and the opportunities and challenges it presents.

The government and the retail sector have launched a plastic collaboration aiming for a set of ambitious goals. Among these goals, all plastic packaging for which the sector is responsible should be recyclable by 2025, and packages should consist of at least 30% recycled plastic.

The work has been initiated, so how is it going?

Who can and will process post-consumer plastic? Who will subsequently purchase the products? What requirements are placed on the products? What are the challenges?

Speakers will present several cases, delving into the challenges they have encountered during their work, allowing participants to understand both the possibilities and limitations.

 

The People’s Meeting “Folkemødet” on Bornholm 2023

June 17, 2023, 12:00-13:00
Allinge, Bornholm

Note: This event has already taken place

It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Ocean Plastic Forum will be participating at the People’s Meeting again this year. Once again Ocean Plastic Forum has been given a time slot in the PFA tent where we will be ready for a great discussion on Saturday, June 17 at 12:00-13:00.

We are currently planning the program and are excited to announce the speakers and the theme of the debate soon.

 

Mini seminar: Current state of chemical recycling of difficult plastic fragments

May 22, 2023, 9:30-15:30
Aalborg Universitet Esbjerg, Niels Bohrs Vej 8, 6700 Esbjerg, room B202

Note: This event has already taken place

On monday May 22nd, Dansk Materiale Netværk will host a mini seminar in collaboration with Ocean Plastic Forum, in which the focus will be a status update on the chemical recycling of difficult plastic fragments.

How far have we come? What challenges can currently be identified? E.g.  environmental, ressource, and commercial aspects. And how do we move on from here? Are these methods the future solution of recycling of difficult plast fragments?

The speakers will include scientists and researchers form different institutions as well as companies from the industry, who will present their most recent results.

For those who are interested, it will be possible to see Plast Center Denmark’s new pilot pyrolosis facility.

See the full program and sign up for the event below. The event has limited seats and goes by first-come-first-serve principle. Last sign up date is Thursday May 11th.

 

Ocean Plastic Forum International Matchmaking 2022

December 1, 2022
Virtual event

Note: This event has already taken place

 

Ocean Plastic Forum International Matchmaking is a B2B speeddating and networking event dedicated to creating contacts to potential investors, customers, suppliers, developers, and cooperative partners within the emerging ocean plastic industry. It is an alternative to traditional conferences where the right people can often be difficult to find.

December 1st, Ocean Plastic Internaltional Matchmaking (OPIM) B2B speed-dating conference was held with many great talks among the participants. If you missed the interesting presentations by Maersk Supply, Arapakis (the OceanCleanup of the Mediterranean), and EU, you can watch the full recording below.

Organised by:

Ajour conference in Odense

November 25-26, 2022
Odense Congress Center 

Note: This event has already taken place

 

Ajour is the meeting place for machinists and others with an interest in management and technological innovation, who want to strengthen their professional network and, in general, be better equipped for the technical and commercial challenges of the future. Ocean Plastic Forum was once again present with a stand.

This year we had the pleasure of presenting many different products made from ocean plastic by Plastix A/S, Copenhagen Cartel, Strandet ApS, Grathwol A/S, Manga Street and Omhu, which proved that the ocean plastic can be very valuable if we choose to view it as a resource rather than waste. Through many great talks, it was also clear that collaboration across the industry and the entire value chain is very important.

Blockchain solution as ’proof of origin’ for ocean plastic?

June 23, 2022, 1:30 PM-4PM
Sankt Annæ Plads 16, 1250 Copenhagen K

Note: This event has already taken place

Blockchain solution as ‘proof of origin’ for ocean plastic?

On June 23rd, Ocean Plastic Forum invited to a networking meeting, where the discussion revolved around whether the members of Ocean Plastic Forum needs a blockchain solution as ‘proof of origin’ for ocean plastic, and whether it can be a good idea to get started with blockchain as the digitalisation of value chains combined with certification and documentation may very well be the way forward for tracability, and simultanuously, blockchains seem to be increase productivity?

The afternoon included:

  • Presentation on the use of blockchain technology and its opportunities in value chains. /by Heidi Svane Pedersen, BlockChainBusiness
  • Presentation by Concordium, who is a provider of more sustainable blockchain solutions with a focus on tracability of the climate footprint and consumer transparency. /by Maria Eisner Pelch
  • Presentation by ReSea Project who uses blockchains to trace the origin of the recovered ocean plastic they can use in their production. /by Ann Sofie Gade
  • Presentation by the Consumer Ombudsman about the marketing of the environmental conditions of products: Ocean Plastic and the Marketing Practices Act § 13 – documentation of the correctness of information. /by Eva Vindsebæk Sjøgren
  • Presentation on blockchain and ocean plastic with a discussion of whether blockchains will potentially become a valuable management tool by providing an overview of the amount and quality of the stream of raw material. The debate further revolved around whether blockchain can prepare the members for potential future requirements of documentation of the working procedure, business processes, cliamte footprint, etc., cf. tahe talks of upcomin EU-initiatives. /by Henrik Lund, Concept Environment.

A great thank you to all who participated and the presentater for a good and interesting debate in an event that was made possible by the funds of the Danish Industry Foundation (Industriens Fond).

The People’s Meeting “Folkemødet” on Bornholm

June 16, 2022
Allinge, Bornholm

Note: The event has already taken place

Great discussions and a full tent at the People’s Meeting on Bornholm for our debate: “Ocean plastic waste: Can it be removed? And should it be profitable?”

The participants in the panel – Katrine (Copenhagen Cartel), Jonas (Coop), Kurt (Levende Hav), Rasmus (PFA) og Thomas (Ocean Plastic Forum) – talked about the challenges you meet as a company when making products of ocean plastic. Especially the need for finding suppliers that can guarantee the quality and origin of the raw material – ocean plastic – was in focus.

Terms such as open source, value chains, and close collaborations are central to be able to guarantee the origin of the raw material. This is not least important in order to avoid green washing and ensure that the upcycled material is of a quality and price that can compete on the market.

One of the highly positive and relevant points of the discussion was when Coop in Denmark revealed that through the collaboration with Ocean Plastic Forum and several of our members,  they will soon be ready to put the first packages of otherwise hard-to-recycle household plastics on their shelfs. Furthermore, the plan is to incorporate ocean plastic as part of the value chain as well as to discuss a model in which the costs of collection of the ocean plastic is covered partially by the sale of the packages.

Many thanks to Søren Linding Jakobsen for moderating the debate – and thanks to the panel participants, to everyone who turned up, and to PFA for the og tak til paneldeltagerne, de fremmødte og PFA for the great settings.

Loop Conference – Waste to Resources

April 27, 2022
Note: The event has already taken place 

How can vaule chains contribute to the removal of ocean plastic waste? Hosted by our main funder, The Danish Industry Foundation (Industriens Fond), Ocean Plastic Forum participated at the 2022 Loop Conference in Copenhagen for a discussion on the topic of sustainable production and competitiveness.

Ocean Plastic International Matchmaking 2021 

December 2, 2021
Note: The event has already taken place 

Ocean Plastic International Matchmaking Event is a networking event dedicated to creating contacts with potential investors, customers, suppliers, developers, and cooperative partners within the emerging ocean plastic industry. 

The purpose is to connect stakeholders within the industry to stimulate general cooperation and partnerships as well as form projects to mitigate the severe challenges from ocean pollution and bring potential ideas and suggestions to a project level so various project consortia may be formed. 

The event will be a mix of conference and brokerage with keynote speakers shedding light on the challenges, the ambitions, and the framework for funding opportunities.

Next Step: From Sea to Shelf Opening Conference

September 6, 2021
Note: The event has already taken place 

Ocean Plastic Forum invites you to the opening conference of Projekt Next Step – from Sea to Shelf. 

Projekt Next Step – from Sea to Shelf is an ambitious project that will run over the next 3 years, supported by the Danish Industry Foundation (Industriens Fond) and carried out by Ocean Plastic Forum and Plast Center Danmark. Over the next 3 years, the project will inspire all interested Danish businesses within the plastic industry to produce from the recycled ocean- and household plastics. 

The goal is to support and strengthen the sector’s competitiveness in areas with the most ocean plastic to help where the problem is the most serious. 

Our members and sponsors

Ocean Plastic Forum is a association of 40 members, consisting of interest groups, NGO´s, universities and a number of companies, who all share the same concern about plastic pollution in our oceans. Our member are our biggest asset in bringing our vision of clean oceans to life. 

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