As part of our UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals activation at Licensing Expo 2025, we are showcasing our members and partners that are embodying various SDGs through they work they have done or are doing.
SDG 15: Life Below Water, is all about conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
“Healthy oceans and seas are essential to our existence. They cover 70 percent of our planet, and we rely on them for food, energy and water. Yet, we have managed to do tremendous damage to these precious resources. We must protect them by eliminating pollution and overfishing and immediately start to responsibly manage and protect all marine life around the world.” – The Global Goals.
The targets the UN have set out to achieve SDG 14 are:
- Reduce marine pollution;
- Protect and restore ecosystems;
- Reduce ocean acidification;
- Sustainable fishing;
- Conserve coastal and marine areas;
- End subsidies contributing to overfishing;
- Increase the economic benefits from sustainable use of marine resources;
- Increase scientific knowledge, research and technology for ocean health;
- Support small scale fishers;
- Implement and enforce international sea law.
One of the specific actions The Global Goals recommends is cleanup projects for rivers and oceans, which is exactly what the Smurfs have done.
Throughout its over 60-year lifespan, the Smurfs have embodied the values of solidarity, tolerance, team spirit, and respect for others and nature. Since 2017, the Smurfs has partnered with the United Nations to advocate for and raise awareness of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, encouraging its partners to move towards the path of sustainability. One of the campaigns for this partnership is the #EUBeachCleanup, the biggest worldwide beach cleaning event, organised every September/October with the EU and the UN.
The campaign encourages children and adults across Europe to head to their local beaches and riverbanks to partake in organised clean-up efforts or begin their own, in support of SDG 14: Life Below Water.
“Marine pollution is one of the most pressing environmental problems, in Europe, but certainly also in the rest of the world. With the Smurfs, we have found a partner that can help us reach out globally, while sharing our values and priorities,” explained Mr. João Aguiar Machado, EC Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, EUEA.
Ever since 2022, EU Beach Cleanup runs annually, aligning with World Cleanup Day and is now marked each year on 20 September. Events organised under the EU Beach Cleanup initiative can take place any time until the end of October, with most centering around coastal areas, although parks, canals, rivers and lakes are encouraged also.
