The inaugural Marine Impact Lab at Metstrade brought together leaders from across the global marine industry for a full-day workshop focused on turning sustainability insight into concrete action.
Thanks to support from 11th Hour Racing, the day focused not just on discussion but on real outcomes. Key insights included:
- A focus on agency and systems change, with Marine Futures Director Ollie Taylor emphasising that real progress comes from individuals operating at the “edges” of organisations, where their 90,000 working hours offer the greatest leverage to shift systems.
- Participants leaving with practical sustainability tools, including organisations adopting sustainability management frameworks from The Sustainability Toolbox and product teams gaining the literacy to interpret and apply lifecycle assessment data to reduce impacts across real-world designs.
- A clear warning from the insurance market, as long-time insurance broker Richard Power highlighted how climate volatility is already shrinking cover and driving up premiums, and pointed to the opportunity of redirecting even 1 per cent of premiums into a marine climate fund to support decarbonisation and resilience.
- A growing focus on insetting, as participants explored how the marine industry can move beyond carbon offsetting and begin baking decarbonisation directly into products, processes and supply chains, creating emissions reductions within the value chain itself.
Hosted by the teams behind The Toolbox e MarineShift360, the event welcomed 60 individuals from across the marine value chain, including World Sailing officials, boatbuilders, manufacturers and innovators such as Holy Technologies, Northern Lights Composites and BAR Technologies, to explore practical pathways towards decarbonisation and more resilient business models.
After an inspiring keynote by Marine Futures Director Ollie Taylor on how humans can drive positive change within companies by looking at how systems actually shift, attendees split into two sessions to dive into the tools and processes needed to turn sustainability ambition into action.
The product track, centred on the MarineShift360 lifecycle assessment tool, opened with the fundamentals of lifecycle assessment before moving into practical applications and real-world design considerations in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, the organisation track, featuring leaders from The Ocean Race, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, 11th Hour Racing, SuMoth Challenge and more, explored sustainability strategies, policies, and ways to engage stakeholders. Participants worked through their own scenarios and challenges to learn how to apply the Sustainability Toolbox’s free resources to support their work.
“Whether you’re just beginning or already reporting, The Toolbox meets you where you’re at,” said Damian Foxall, Director of Foxall Munro, the team behind the Sustainability Toolbox. “It helps organisations understand their impacts, set realistic ambitions, and reassess their processes in a structured way.”
He highlighted the IMOCA Class as a prime example, tailoring the Toolbox’s carbon calculator to align more than 50 teams on a unified carbon-tracking process.
Marine Futures’ Ollie Taylor emphasised the importance of data-driven decision-making at the product level.
“Eighty percent of a product’s total lifecycle impact is locked in during the design phase. Lifecycle assessment allows teams to model different materials, supply chains, and manufacturing choices before a product is ever built.”
He pointed to the case of BAR Technologies’ 24-metre WindWings® system, where an LCA approach has identified specific material substitutions with the potential to unlock hundreds of tonnes of CO₂ savings over the product’s lifetime.
Taylor added that many improvements stem simply from asking suppliers new questions. “Often, supply chain partners do have solutions, but no one has ever asked for them. With the right data, teams can spot low-hanging fruit and move quickly.”
Finance strategist Rupert Robinson of NEWMA360 brought the financial lens, outlining how emerging mechanisms can accelerate adoption of sustainable design. His concept of ‘micro-carbon pricing’ has already shown success in industries from fishing fleets to sport apparel.
“We're talking about fractions of a cent, tiny premiums that accumulate into climate funds that finance real decarbonisation.”
He pointed to pilot projects where micro-carbon contributions were used to upgrade engines, improve energy efficiency, and restore threatened fish populations. “These models work for fleets, for products, and for events. They unlock capital where none existed.”
Insurance specialist Richard Power warned of the rising “cost of inaction,” increasingly visible in insurance markets. Climate-driven risk is increasing premiums and, in some regions, limiting insurability altogether. “Insurance is the industry’s early-warning system,” Robinson agreed. “As risk rises, so does cost, and that will hit the marine industry hard. But imagine if insurers dedicated even 1 percent of premiums to a marine industry climate fund. The innovation that could unlock would be enormous.”
As the workshop progressed, a clear theme emerged: the industry’s value chain is wider than most organisations realise, and solutions often lie just beyond the next conversation, whether with a supplier, insurer, financier, or event organiser.
Foxall emphasised that Europe’s incoming regulations, particularly the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and expanding carbon-pricing frameworks, will increasingly push the sector towards measurable action. “The data we collect today becomes the investment strategy of tomorrow,” he said. “When we reinvest in our own value chains, next year’s footprint is smaller by design.”
The Marine Impact Lab demonstrated that sustainability is no longer a theoretical exercise but a practical, collaborative process supported by tools, data modelling, financial innovation, and industry momentum. With its first year complete, partners aim to expand the Lab’s reach and help turn more of these insights into real-world impact across the global marine sector.
This year’s Marine Impact Lab was supported by 11th Hour Racing, Metstrade, Northern Lights Composites, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, ICOMIA and World Sailing. Those interested in the free, open-source tools showcased at the event can explore and sign up for free at sustainabilitytoolbox.com e marineshift360.org.
ABOUT 11TH HOUR RACING
Inspired by the dynamics of sailboat racing and the urgency for climate action, 11th Hour Racing is committed to the health and resilience of ocean systems. Supporting innovative, sustainable solutions in the maritime industry and beyond through sport, storytelling and grantmaking, 11th Hour Racing works to build healthy planetary systems and strong communities. Under the 11th Hour Racing umbrella, activities are provided through 11th Hour Racing, Inc., which serves as the impact entity and provides programmatic direction to its philanthropic partners, including 11th Hour Racing Charitable, LLC, which engages in charitable work, and 11th Hour Racing Action, LLC, which engages in social welfare programs and advocacy.
Learn more at 11thhourracing.org.
ABOUT MARINE FUTURES LTD
Marine Futures is committed to driving the marine industry forward—transforming bold ambitions into measurable, real-world environmental impact reduction. Founded in 2024, Marine Futures offers a range of services and solutions to support marine manufacturers, supply chain partners, governing bodies and end users measure and reduce their environmental impact, using the latest data-driven sustainability solutions.
ABOUT FOXALL MUNRO
Foxall Munro is a sustainability consultancy focused on the sports and maritime sectors. We work alongside organizations to help them progress toward their sustainability goals, offering practical tools and strategies that support systemic change. Our approach is rooted in collaboration and sector-wide engagement, aiming to develop adaptable frameworks that others can build on. With the support of 11th Hour Racing, we embrace a sharing economy mindset – making accessible resources and blueprints available for others to learn from, apply, and evolve.
