Karl Beerenfenger

Karl Beerenfenger is one of the Netherlands' leading experts on plastic soup, one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. He founded a foundation and developed plastic soup projects for companies and governments as an entrepreneur.

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Boardroom spreker,coffee corner spreker,Discussieleider,Duo-lezing,Experience,Interactief vraaggesprek,Keynote spreker,Q&A session / Firseside chat,Virtual Keynotes,Webinar,Workshop / Masterclass

About Karl Beerenfenger

Karl Beerenfenger is one of the Netherlands’ leading experts on litter and plastic soup, one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. After seven years in window cleaning and as a professional diver, Karl made the transition to ‘plastic soup’ in 2015. He founded a foundation and developed plastic soup projects for companies and governments as an entrepreneur.

Currently, he works at an international environmental organization as a campaign leader and lobbyist focusing on the transition from single-use packaging to reusable alternatives, and on an international ban on plastic cigarette filters. Did you know that the filters are made of plastic and do not make smoking any less harmful? Karl moved from research and awareness at sea to system change in boardrooms with companies, politicians, and governments. He closely follows local, national, and international policy developments. Through lectures, corporate outings, and educational programs, Karl shares his knowledge about plastic soup.

What is Karl’s expertise?
Karl knows the essence of the growing plastic waste problem like no one else. He has conducted years of research on microplastics in Dutch and international waters and has guided dozens of companies and governments in mapping and combating litter. He has also taught thousands of children and young people about plastic soup and helped organizations reduce their plastic footprint.

Plastic soup is a reality that Karl has seen with his own eyes. Even in the Netherlands. Cleaning up is not the answer – the question is: how do we turn off the proverbial tap? Karl takes you through various solutions, from policy at the United Nations to the influence of the individual citizen. In addition to being a content expert, he is also a connector and founder of the largest plastic soup network in the Netherlands, with 136 affiliated organizations and initiatives. In his spare time, he is a board member of the Dutch Elasmobranch Association as a shark enthusiast.

Why book Karl?
With his unique mix of experience at sea, on land, and with policymakers, Karl offers a confronting yet simultaneously inspiring and hopeful story. With a healthy dose of humor, perspective, and self-reflection, he talks about the plastic pollution that is flooding our planet. As a speaker, Karl connects with a variety of audiences. In an energetic and interactive manner, he engages his audience with his authentic story full of in-depth knowledge, insights, and actionable perspectives. Karl takes listeners through the causes, responsibilities, and solutions for plastic soup.
After the lecture, the audience can contribute to so-called system change and reduce their own plastic footprint. Karl is happy to share his own development with you. Once he ‘shot’ cigarette butts on the street, now he lobbies internationally for a cleaner living environment.

For whom?
Karl’s lectures are suitable for a wide range of groups, from top management to operational teams. He can deliver the presentation in both Dutch and English. Karl offers both new insights and a quiz, as well as space for questions and discussion. Work on your sustainability goals by inviting Karl and go home with concrete actions. The lectures are suitable for conferences, corporate meetings, education, and more.

Specialist Subjects

A presentation about the causes, consequences, and solutions for the global plastic soup issue, brought back to the daily reality of the listeners.

A unique presentation based on ten years of experience in the ‘plastic soup’ field, both at sea, on the beach, in the city, and in boardrooms. Offers your listeners new facts, insight into the current state of affairs, and special anecdotes from the field. Never preachy, always with a smile. I can tailor the presentation to the wishes and situation of the client, within the theme of ‘plastic soup’ (= plastic pollution/litter).

‘A better environment starts with yourself,’ the government told us in the nineties. Is that really so? It all depends on how you interpret the slogan. Taking a reusable shopping bag once won’t change the world. But if you don’t buy a plastic bag (which has not been allowed to be given for free since 2016), you help contribute to the effectiveness of the financial incentive. And that’s where the real change lies: system change.

Karl takes you on his own journey, from polluter (cigarette butts and cans on the street) to system changer (lobbying in boardrooms), and in what you can do for a cleaner world. Think systemically and celebrate every small change: even that shopping bag. You ‘must’ do nothing, and you certainly don’t have to walk barefoot through the city like Karl once did, but you can make a much bigger difference than you think without having a conversation with the European Commissioner.

Looking for ways to reduce your organisation’s ecological footprint? Prevention, reduction, reuse, and recycling are the most effective ways to achieve that. Karl takes you through the possibilities to reduce resource use, waste, and litter. Everything we do has an impact, yet we live in the modern world: how do you keep your footprint as small as possible while still taking advantage of what current society has to offer?

You want to make a difference in the world, buy a wooden toothbrush and think: this isn’t really getting anywhere. How do you influence policy, how do you gain administrative support? How do you stay in conversation? And what do you do when your values clash with politicians, while you still need them for your work? Karl sees it happening continuously in his environment: ‘left’ despises ‘right’, ‘right’ hates ‘left’. Assumptions and accusations, but conversations are absent. Let alone that there is real listening.

”I find it a terrible phrase, but it does cover the essence: hard on the content, soft on the relationship.” No one wants a polluted world – exceptions aside, of course – but why is there still so much political resistance to real change? Based on years of experience as a lobbyist, Karl takes you through inspiring stories, fascinating anecdotes, and successes and failures on the way to a cleaner world.

Videos

Reusable Packaging Fair 2023 - Mission Reuse en KIDV

Let's Talk Plastic - Dirk Zwerfinator Groot en Karl PeukMeuk Beerenfenger - zwerfafval & peuken

Interview National Geographic - juni - #stopmetplastic

FAQ

Duurzaamheid, ondernemerschap en de circulaire economie zijn onderwerpen waarmee Karl Beerenfenger zijn publiek keer op keer weet te verrassen en te inspireren. Als je het over Karl Beerenfenger hebt, heb je het automatisch ook over maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen. Zijn authentieke verhaal, over alle kanten van de samenleving die hij heeft gezien, maakt hem benaderbaar en inspirerend.

Karl Beerenfenger weet je steeds weer te verrassen met de nieuwste inzichten en ontwikkelingen op het gebied van plastic soep, afval en zwerfafval. Hij bewandelde een bijzonder pad: van het gymnasium, via vele jaren als glazenwasser, naar systeemverandering voor een schonere wereld. Vooruitstrevend, authentiek en inspirerend zijn drie kenmerkende eigenschappen van spreker Karl Beerenfenger.

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