BOYAN SLAT
AI IN SUSTAINABILITY
BOYAN SLAT
TITLE: CEO COMPANY: THE OCEAN CLEANUP INDUSTRY: SUSTAINABILITY
Boyan Slat is the Dutch founder and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, pioneering technologies to remove plastic pollution from oceans and rivers, aiming to eliminate 90 % of floating ocean plastic by 2040.
This isn’ t about sending ships to wander hopefully across the Pacific but about using data-driven predictions to steer vessels towards the most effective collection zones – the same operational efficiency principles that drive logistics optimisation in any industry.
The organisation has already withdrawn 64 million pounds of marine debris globally. With AI integration, the companies are targeting a 90 % reduction in floating ocean plastics by 2040.
Now, cloud-based infrastructure is reducing the need for around-the-clock Protected Species Observers, reallocating resources from monitoring to actual plastic removal.
“ When people say something is impossible, the sheer absoluteness of that statement should be a motivation to investigate further,” says Boyan Slat, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, who founded the organisation in 2013 after observing more plastic bags than fish during a scuba diving trip in Greece.
“WHEN PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, THE SHEER ABSOLUTENESS OF THAT STATEMENT SHOULD BE A MOTIVATION TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER”
Boyan Slat, CEO, The Ocean Cleanup
232 November 2025