Boyan Slat combines environmentalism, entrepreneurism and technology to tackle global issues of sustainability. After diving in Greece, and coming across more plastic bags than fish, he wondered: why can’t we clean this up?

While still being on secondary school, he then decided to dedicate half a year of research to understand plastic pollution and the problems associated with cleaning it up. This ultimately led to his passive clean-up concept, which he presented at TEDxDelft 2012.

Working to prove the feasibility of his concept, Boyan Slat currently heads a team of approximately 50 people, and temporarily quit his Aerospace Engineering study to completely focus his efforts on The Ocean Cleanup.

In this fascinating talk, Slat outlines a strategy to clean up ocean plastics using for-profit ventures. He also points out some surprising facts about the ocean plastic patch and how it can actually clean itself (with a little help from humans).