Marita Schmid is a sustainability expert from Mondi, a global leader in innovative and sustainable packaging and paper solutions.
To develop a more holistic view about the impact of plastics, she is participating as one of two Austrians on the transatlantic leg of the international all-female sailing eXXpedition Round the World voyage. The eXXpedition Round the World voyage, which set sail from Plymouth, UK on 8 October, 2019, will travel through some of the most important and diverse marine environments on the planet in over 30 voyage legs. This includes crossing four of the five oceanic gyres, where ocean plastic is known to accumulate, and the Arctic.
Leg 2 will be the first time two Austrians take part. Schmid will be joining a crew of 13 other women to research and highlight the impact of plastic pollution on the ocean. The 14-woman crew will travel from the Azores to Antigua through the North Atlantic Gyre on the on board the S.V. TravelEdge, a 73 ft expedition sailing vessel and floating research lab from 27 October to 18 November, 2019.
Schmid, an experienced and passionate sailor who co-runs the Austrian Laserclass, will be one of two first Austrians to join the voyage. “I am excited to research the impact that single-use plastic has on our oceans, and share this knowledge with the packaging industry, where we are working towards making packaging more sustainable as part of a circular economy” she explained.
Mondi is sponsoring Schmid’s participation during the eXXpedition Round the World Leg 2 from the Azores to Antigua. “We are committed to developing innovative and sustainable packaging together with our customers to meet their sustainability goals and commitments, while also doing what’s best for the planet. We are pleased to support Marita in her expedition as this aligns with our view that packaging should be sustainable by design along the entire value chain by following three actions; reduce, replace, and recycle.” explained Graeme Smith, Sustainability Manager of Mondi’s flexible packaging business.
eXXpedition is a Community Interest Company and not-for-profit organisation founded in 2014. This expedition is part of a two-year journey, where over 300 women will, in over 30 voyage legs, cover more than 38,000 nautical miles. The organisation partners with internationally recognised ocean plastic experts to carry out plastics-related citizen science in cooperation with the University of Georgia in the US and the University of Plymouth in the UK.
