Support of the World Ocean Summit is part of Blancpain's Ocean Commitment which celebrates the brand's intimate connection to the ocean, first established in 1953 with the presentation of the Fifty Fathoms, and groups together Blancpain's initiatives for the protection and preservation of the ocean. Organised by The Economist and chaired by the publication's Editor-in-Chief, the World Ocean Summit brings together global leaders from government, business, international organizations, NGOs, think-tanks and academia. Under the theme "Blue Economy; Blue Growth" the 2015 edition ambitiously aimed to set a new global agenda for the ocean economy offering a vision in which economic opportunity is balanced by responsible investment in a sustainable ocean economy— a ‘win-win’ scenario where the private sector, acting through enlightened self-interest, is a catalyst for both economic development and environmental protection.
For its third participation to the World Ocean Summit, Blancpain extended its support to include the Ocean Innovation Challenge. This initiative, calling for pioneering minds to offer solutions which actively alleviate the tension between growth and sustainability, is already very successful for its inaugural edition with more than seventy competitors coming in. Selected by a distinguished panel of judges composed of international luminaries in the ocean, investment and governmental sectors, including Marc A. Hayek, Blancpain's President and CEO, the Liquid Robotics' Wave Glider was chosen for their pioneering technology that "contributes most to the ‘blue economy,’ while presenting an environmentally sustainable and commercially viable solution".
