Eco-anxiety is becoming an increasingly common concern among younger professionals entering the maritime sector, according to AVS Global Ship Supply. The company warns that unless the industry accelerates its climate commitments, it risks losing connection with the very generation needed to shape its future.

Abdülvahit Şimşek, CEO of AVS Ship Supply, said: “In many corners of the industry, eco-anxiety is still treated as an abstract concern. Yet we hear it directly, and urgently, from the young professionals we work with every day. They want to be part of an industry that’s actively contributing to the climate solution. Long-term goals for 2050 are essential, but a roadmap that overlooks today fails to inspire confidence in the younger generation.”

In response, AVS has launched its Young Volunteers programme, a new and growing initiative that provides a platform for younger employees to actively engage in sustainability efforts. The programme is already beginning to deliver its first concrete projects and reflects AVS’s belief in cross-generational collaboration to support meaningful change.

Elif Şimşek, Brand Manager at AVS and a member of the Young Volunteers group, explained: “Eco-anxiety for me is the tension between urgency and inaction. I want a career in shipping that is future-proof, but I also want to live on a planet where this industry is part of the solution. The Young Volunteers programme gives us a way to engage directly, not in 20 years, but today.”

Mr Şimşek acknowledged that while positive progress is being made, such as the growing number of companies embracing sustainability frameworks the challenge requires a broader, united response.
“As the only Turkish maritime catering supply company currently affiliated with the United Nations Global Compact, we see this not as a status but as an invitation for others to join us in raising the bar on transparency, accountability, and shared action,” he said. “This cannot be left to a handful of committed companies. What we need is a broader, more intentional industry-wide response to achieve real, scalable impact.”

AVS is encouraging maritime leaders globally to create more inclusive spaces for young professionals to contribute, to take concerns around climate anxiety seriously, and to foster a more open dialogue between generations.

“This can’t remain a matter of strategy documents and reporting cycles, it must translate into actions that genuinely engage people, especially the next generation,” added Mr Şimşek. “The maritime industry is built on relationships, and those must include the hopes, concerns, and ideas of young professionals. If we listen, engage, and act together, we can build a more credible and resilient future for the industry and for the oceans we all depend on.”