The HLD Mediterranean Fund supports projects aimed at protecting the marine environment in the Mediterranean.

Among the causes supported by corporate philanthropy, environmental protection is at the bottom of the table, far behind social, educational, cultural or around heritage issues. The protection of the marine environment is the least funded environmental issue, while its biodiversity and landscapes are rapidly degrading due to anthropogenic pressure and global warming.

HLD is passionate about the Mediterranean, and set up an endowment fund in 2018 to help ensure the sustainability of this ecosystem and its beauty. The HLD Mediterranean Fund is dedicated to fund projects that raise public awareness and education, conduct scientific research or help restore environments.

Partner NGOs

Plastic Art Fair

polluting materials abandoned in the middle of nature, transformed into works of art
polluting materials abandoned in the middle of nature, transformed into works of art

Plastic Art Fair is the first exhibition that transforms marine waste and micro-plastic pollution into works of art.

The objective of Edouard Granero and Jan Berger, the founders of the project, is to recover waste abandoned in the Mediterranean Sea and on its beaches to propose to artists to transform them into works of art that will then be sold to the public.

The first edition took place in 2021 under the theme of "Footprint". This is a warning of the consequences of overconsumption on the environment.

The 2022 edition, in partnership with several associations including Merterre, Palana environment, Sauvage was organized on the theme Ghosts to focus on pollution at sea from abandoned fishing nets.

Exhibition Ghosts: transforming the material of the past by the Plastic Art Fair collective at the Lavoir Vasserot in Saint Tropez, from 29/09 to 5/10 then exhibition at the Solarium in Marseille from 10 to 12/11

Reef Saver

The impact of global warming on coral reefs
The impact of global warming on coral reefs

Reef Saver, an artistic, textile and digital project, led by Stephanie Lerner to alert on the impact of global warming on coral reefs. The project was unveiled at the Biomimexpo exhibition in October in Paris

GIS Posidonie

Artist's impression of the floating reefs being developed by GIS Posidonie. Photo: Olivier Bocquet/Tangram Labs.
Artist's impression of the floating reefs being developed by GIS Posidonie. Photo: Olivier Bocquet/Tangram Labs.

GIS Posidonie, a scientific interest group set up in 1982, carries out research and analyses in marine biology for the state, local authorities and international organizations: inventories and mapping of heritage resources, acquisition of biological and ecological data on the seabed, analysis, advice, monitoring systems, management support, etc.

We support the Floating Reef project, awarded by Pure Ocean, which aims to combine the technical, scientific and financial resources of Tangram Architectes and GIS Posidonie in the design, 3D printing, positioning and evaluation of biomimetic mooring buoys. These act as artificial reefs, providing an ideal refuge for marine biodiversity.

Pure Ocean

Photo: HKlostermann.
Photo: HKlostermann.

Pure Ocean is an endowment fund with an international scope created in 2017 and based in Marseille. It aims to mobilize civil society, in France and internationally, in the support of applied research projects for the protection of fragile marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

We provide financial support to various innovative applied research projects for the Mediterranean Sea, selected by Pure Ocean's scientific committee on the basis of an international call for projects.

Voiles Bleues

The preparatory edition of the Voiles Bleues took place during the Voiles de Saint-Tropez in partnership with the Blue Odyssey Initiative and the Fondation de la Mer. It was co-financed by HLD Méditerranée and Kresk 4 Océans and benefited from the support of the city of Saint-Tropez.

It is an environmental initiative aimed at the preservation of the marine environment to raise awareness, federate and act in favor of marine ecology by providing elements of understanding and solutions to be implemented.

The Voiles Bleues were launched on September 29, 2022 with the screening of the film "Méditerranée, l'Odyssée pour la Vie" (Mediterranean, an Odyssey for Life) for the sailors of the Voiles de Saint -Tropez, followed by a conference with well-known personalities from the world of the sea and sailing.

Fondation de la Mer

A diver picks fragments of red coral colonies from their original colony for a transplantation operation. Photo: Septentrion Environnement.
A diver picks fragments of red coral colonies from their original colony for a transplantation operation. Photo: Septentrion Environnement.

The Sea Foundation was created in 2015, on the initiative of committed personalities from the maritime world and civil society. It supports, promotes and strengthens the impact of actions of a scientific, educational, cultural and environmental nature related to maritime spaces.

In parallel, the Sea Foundation operates its own projects for the protection of marine ecosystems, the fight against pollution, support for research and innovation, information and public awareness.

The HLD Mediterranean Fund contributes to the work of the Fondation de la Mer in 3 areas: the annual financing of a research grant, participation in the SOS Coral project, and projects for the restoration of the Mediterranean ecosystem (gorgonian sea fans and red coral, Posidonia meadows, and blue sharks).

Mare Vivu

Children collect and analyze microplastics on the beach of San Firenzu as part of an awareness workshop. Photo: Mare Vivu / Olmu Productions.
Children collect and analyze microplastics on the beach of San Firenzu as part of an awareness workshop. Photo: Mare Vivu / Olmu Productions.

The Mare Vivu association is specialized in the fight against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean and is committed in Corsica to the promotion of zero waste and the preservation of marine biodiversity. It organizes every year CorSeaCare, a mission of scientific data collection and public awareness.

We support this mission, which alternates citizen science with educational activities. We also support the Low Tech Plastic project, which transforms plastic waste into new objects using energy-efficient tools. These transformations take place during plastic pollution awareness events. The long-term goal is to work with artisans and project leaders to valorize this waste.

In addition, from 2022, we support a new project: RIPARU 2025, a real plan of prevention and action against plastic pollution in a first pilot territory of Corsica: the natural marine park of Cape Corsica and Agriate

MerTerre

Plastic waste collected during the annual clean-up day "Calanques Propres". Photo: Théo Zecchini.
Plastic waste collected during the annual clean-up day "Calanques Propres". Photo: Théo Zecchini.

MerTerre is involved in the fight against the solid waste pollution of aquatic environments and coastal areas. It conducts in-depth analyses of waste, helps public authorities and companies develop policies to combat such pollution, organizes clean-up actions, and proposes awareness raising programs for the public and policy-makers.

We support one of MerTerre's principal projects: the Adopt‘1 Spot program, a national platform bringing together organizations and individuals involved or interested in voluntary beach clean-ups.

Earthwake

Shredded plastic waste is heated to very high temperatures in the pyrolysis reactor to return to its initial state: oil. Photo: Earthwake.
Shredded plastic waste is heated to very high temperatures in the pyrolysis reactor to return to its initial state: oil. Photo: Earthwake.

Earthwake seeks to reduce plastic pollution in marine environments by recycling plastic waste on land. The NGO has developed Chrysalis, a technology for transforming plastic waste into fuel by pyrolysis, aiming to make the recycling of plastic waste more attractive, integrating it into a circular economy approach.

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