Greek Social Enterprise Enaleia Makes New York Debut at Climate Week 2026

NEW YORK – Greek social enterprise Enaleia, which works to reduce marine plastic pollution and promote sustainable fishing practices, made its New York debut this month at Climate Week NYC.

Held September 21-28, Climate Week NYC brings together business leaders, policymakers, environmental organizations, and others for hundreds of events across New York focused on climate action and solutions.

Representing Enaleia was Partnerships and Impact Coordinator Fani Sakellariou, who was also visiting New York for the first time.

Fani Sakellariou came to New York to represent Enaleia. (Photo: Courtesy of Fani Sakellariou)

Speaking with The National Herald, Sakellariou reflected on the experience of representing the organization internationally and the opportunities her work has given her to see environmental initiatives and policymaking firsthand.

“I’m extremely grateful to the whole team for sending me, and I’ve been very fortunate to have traveled a lot this year for work,” Sakellariou told TNH.

“I’ve gone to meetings and events in places including Spain, Belgium and Turkey all within the year, and I feel like a lot has happened during this time, and I feel that after every trip I come back a little different because you see things. Whether it’s at a port, seeing the fishermen with their catches, or at the European Commission, seeing European policy being shaped, or being here — it’s a truly fantastic experience.”

“Generally, I’ve realized that when you’re authentic and you believe in what you’re doing, talking to someone and sharing your vision comes naturally, and I think passion is contagious, so it’s been great to be able to come here.”

Sakellariou explained how Climate Week involved attending various events where people exchanged ideas, established connections and shared valuable insights. (Photo: Courtesy of Fani Sakellariou)

Enaleia began as what it describes as Greece’s first professional fishing school and has since developed into an organization working with more than 6,000 fishermen across the Mediterranean to collect marine plastic, including waste caught in fishing nets.

Sakellariou, who arrived in New York on September 18 as Enaleia’s sole representative, said the organization’s goal at Climate Week was to build relationships, learn from others in the field, and explore opportunities to expand its work beyond the Mediterranean.

“While here, we’ve [Enaleia] been invited to many events, we’ve arranged one-on-one meetings, and essentially our goal is to do some good networking here because we now want to take what we’ve started in the Mediterranean on a bit of a global scale,” Sakellariou said.

“First, because the need isn’t limited to the Mediterranean. There are seas and fishermen everywhere who I believe could benefit from this expansion. There are also better funding opportunities here.

“So that’s why we came — for lots of meetings, lots of events, lots of networking, and also to meet people with the same mindset, talk and exchange ideas. It’s been a very enriching week.”

Sakellariou attended an event held by Planet Haus during Climate Week in New York. (Photo: Courtesy of Fani Sakellariou)

During her visit, Sakellariou attended a range of events and presentations, including The Ocean Awakens by Plastic Odyssey; Accelerating Paper-Based Packaging Solutions by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation; the Sustainable Finance Summit by the London Stock Exchange Group; an event hosted by 1% for the Planet; and the Impact Capital Breakfast by Boston Consulting Group.

Sakellariou described the events as both “inspirational and educational,” noting that some offered a close look at how major companies approach sustainability.

“There were also very high-level, closed-door events where major companies were making decisions about policies — for example, in waste management and procurement,” she said.

“It really opens your eyes to reality, and it was incredible to be at the center of decision-making and change. It helped me understand that things are happening.”

She said Climate Week also underscored the breadth of organizations and investors working on environmental issues.

“Coming here, you see that there are so many people who share a similar vision to ours. They may not work with the sea, but they have the desire to do something better for the world — for people and for the environment.

“Then, there are also people who want to fund it. Sometimes the conditions in a country may not favor money flowing toward sustainability, but I saw a lot of private initiative here.”

Sakellariou expressed how she attended a presentation titled ‘The Ocean Awakens’, by the Plastic Odyssey. (Photo: Courtesy of Fani Sakellariou)

While this marked Enaleia’s first appearance at Climate Week NYC, Sakellariou also traveled to London earlier this year for Climate Week as the organization seeks a greater role in advocacy and policymaking.

“Essentially, we’ve set a goal of strengthening the advocacy side of what we do and being present in decision-making and policy shaping,” she said.

“So we’re pursuing that more actively as well…and there are many things we want to be present for.”

Sakellariou, who has worked with Enaleia for the past two and a half years, also reflected on her first visit to New York.

“It’s really beautiful. It’s a very vibrant city and I think it screams opportunity,” she said.

“I feel like it [New York City] makes you feel that you’re doing something very important. You could be doing the same thing somewhere else, but there’s something about New York, it has this vibe, I don’t know – I feel like I’m more impactful here.”

“I’ve really liked walking around everywhere and exploring, and the events have also been really great.”

For more information about Enaleia and its work, visit enaleia.com or follow @enaleia on Instagram.