My name is Karlijn. I spend my days creating natural alternatives to plastic. This June, I'm joining a research sailing expedition to study ocean plastic pollution.

For the past six years, I've been working at Notpla (Not Plastic), where we develop packaging from seaweed and plants to replace single-use plastics. I now lead Notpla's innovation team, a collaborative group discovering uncompromisingly natural material solutions for some of packaging's hardest to solve problems, including replacing the plastic liner that's hidden inside every paper coffee cup. But despite working on the plastic problem daily, I haven’t witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of single-use plastics and their toxins in the world’s oceans.

This June, that's about to change. I have the most incredible opportunity, honestly, a dream come true. I’ll be joining eXXpedition for a 10-day all-women sailing research voyage in the Tonga Islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

Founded by ocean advocate Emily Penn, eXXpedition leads ocean research missions that help people truly connect with the plastic crisis. Over 12 years, they've run 29 missions with 274 women from 41 nations, contributing data to 35 scientific studies and inspiring real change in policy, product design, and public awareness. For me, this brings together so many things I deeply care about: my passion for scientific research, nature and the ocean, my work at Notpla replacing single-use plastics, and my background in sailing (growing up in a highly sailing-enthusiastic family).

This journey sails deep into the South Pacific to Tonga’s remote Polynesian islands, conducting (micro)plastic research both at sea and on land. This will be my first time sailing on the open ocean, and I'll be working in shifts around the clock as part of the crew whilst collecting samples and conducting research through our collaboration with local communities.

Why this research matters

To truly address this crisis, we need to understand it at a much deeper level. The scale is staggering: global plastic production reached approximately 436 million metric tons in 2023 [1 UNCTAD ]. Every day, the equivalent of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes [2 UNEP ]

Yet the extent to which microplastics affect climate change, ocean health, and human health is currently largely unknown [3 Nawab et al ]. What is being discovered is alarming: they're disrupting ocean life that helps absorb carbon dioxide [3 Nawab et al ], and plastics contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals which interfere with hormonal functions and potentially compromise fertility [4 Wang et al 5 Zurub et al ] This is why eXXpedition's all-women mission matters, tackling a crisis that impacts women's bodies and health in profound ways. This complex, multi-faceted problem demands solutions from every angle - such as material innovation, policy changes, and waste infrastructure.

What I hope to bring back

This expedition will allow me to connect with the problem firsthand and help me to understand it more deeply, learning from the crew, the research, the local communities, and the ocean itself. I'll share the experience and findings as widely as I can: with the team at Notpla, with companies to inspire them to do better, through talks and social media. The stories, the data, the reality of what we're up against, all to hopefully inspire change and better solutions to this urgent problem.

The funding bit

To make the expedition possible, each crew member must contribute to the cost of the voyage. Overall, I need to contribute £4,490 to the voyage, and I’ll pay for my own flights, insurance and gear in addition to that. I’m using my savings to achieve this, but I’m hoping wonderful people and organisations like yourself might be able to support my cause : ).

Any support would mean the absolute world to me!! I'll share updates throughout the journey, hoping to give you the experience like you're on the boat with us! : )

Thank you so much for reading!

You can learn more about eXXpedition at exxpedition .com

and watch this beautiful documentary, which inspired me to apply, about one of their previous voyages: X Trillion !!

Best wishes and thank you so much!

Karlijn

Follow me @karlijnsibbel

www.karlijnsibbel.com

Photo credits:

Sources:

1. UNCTAD Global Trade Update (August 2025): Mobilising trade to curb plastic pollution

2. UN Environment Programme. Plastic Pollution

3. ScienceDirect (2026) Nawab et al. From pollution to ocean warming: The climate impacts of marine microplastics

4. ScienceDirect (2024). Wang et al. The hidden threat: Unraveling the impact of microplastics on reproductive health

5. PMC (2024). Zurub et al. Microplastics exposure: implications for human fertility, pregnancy and child health