Metstrade rallies 20,000 boating professionals for worldwide clean-water action

From clearing plastic out of Amsterdam’s canals to inspiring global action across marinas and coastlines, Metstrade is using this year’s World Boating Day to challenge the leisure marine industry to take visible steps towards cleaner waterways.

On this year’s World Boating Day (23 May), Metstrade is calling on the global leisure marine industry to take collective action for cleaner seas and waterways.

The trade fair says it has already undertaken helping a clean-up of the canals of Amsterdam, the host city of its November event. The clean-up involved 11 Metstrade team members and was in partnership with Plastic Whale.

Now organisers are encouraging Metstrade network of 20,000+ visitors and 1,700+ exhibitors to make a visible, positive impact on the marine environment for World Boating Day, an initiative by the Superyacht Life Foundation.

Industry-wide action encouraged across marinas, harbours and coastlines

The main goal is to engage thousands of professionals across the leisure marine supply chain to protect the waters that sustain the industry and the people who enjoy it.

“The leisure marine industry depends on healthy seas, rivers and coastlines to ensure future generations can enjoy the same adventures and connection with water that boating offers today,” says Niels Klarenbeek, director of RAI Marine Technology. “This World Boating Day, by coming together to clean our waterways, the industry can make positive, collective action to protect the environments that make boating possible. It is only with collective action that we can truly make a difference.”

Environmental actions which can be undertaken could include:

• Collecting waste at harbours, marinas or jetties
• Actively removing floating plastics and debris while underway
• Separating waste responsibly on board
• Share sustainability tips to customers through social media
• Being mindful about which disposable items are taken onboard
• Avoiding anchoring in or near seagrass meadows to prevent damage to these vital habitats
• Disposing of waste away from the water

Social media challenge offers VIP Metstrade tickets

Participants are invited to share a photo or short video of their activity using the hashtags #MetstradeCleanWaters and #WorldBoatingDay across social media platforms. The most impactful action will win VIP tickets to Metstrade, 17-19 November 2026, at RAI Convention Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The Ocean Conservation Trust – which was selected as Metstrade’s chosen charity for the DAME Design Awards in 2025, and received a donation of €21,900 to support its work – is also supporting this action.

“It will be great to see the leisure marine industry coming together for the benefit of our environment,” says Ian McFadzen, CEO of The Ocean Conservation Trust. “We are proud to see Metstrade continuing to champion sustainability, and this initiative is a powerful example of how we can all Think Ocean every day, something which we encourage through our UN-endorsed #ThinkOcean challenge. The continued support from Metstrade has enabled us to accelerate our conservation work, and we are forever thankful for being the chosen charity for the DAME Design Awards 2025.”

World Boating Day is a global, non-profit initiative that invites companies across the leisure marine sector to open their doors and engage the wider public through open days, behind-the-scenes tours, workshops, talks and on-water experiences.