July 1, 2025, Zeughaus Augsburg. Mayor Eva Weber and Economic Advisor Dr. Hübschle stand on stage, honoring companies that make Augsburg proud. Among the award recipients: a small startup from the Kriegshaber district, which has taken on nothing less than the task of ridding our oceans of plastic. Oceanmata receives the "Made in Augsburg" award – and this is just the beginning. 🏆
From the Kriegshaber district to the world: The Oceanmata Story
The story of Oceanmata begins in 2020 – in the middle of the pandemic. Founder Dominik Karl, a former Airbus engineer, had enough of just watching our oceans drown in plastic. As he himself says: "The experience I gained during my practical phases at Airbus perfectly combined with the theoretical knowledge." He used this knowledge – but not for airplanes, but for the ocean.
From Augsburg, he built a team that today consists of 11 employees in Medewi, Bali. Together with over 165,000 ocean heroes, Oceanmata has already removed more than 300,000 kg of ocean plastic from the sea. And the promise is simple: for every product sold, 1 kg of plastic is removed from the ocean. 🌊
If you want to learn more about Dominik's story – here you can find out how an Airbus engineer became an Ocean Entrepreneur.
What the "Made in Augsburg" award means
The "Made in Augsburg" award is not an ordinary prize. It stands for quality, innovation, and local connectedness – values that Oceanmata has lived by since its founding. The Augsburger Allgemeine reported on it, and the DAZ noted:
"Oceanmata GmbH from the Augsburg district of Kriegshaber is among the award winners."
"Eva Weber emphasized the social responsibility and future viability of these companies."
Social responsibility and future viability – two terms that perfectly describe what drives Oceanmata every day. Making the world's oceans cleaner from a startup in Swabia, that's quite unique. And Augsburg can rightly be proud of it.
From Augsburg to Bali: How the business model works
But how does it actually work in practice? In Medewi, Bali, the Oceanmata team collects plastic daily from beaches and rivers. This is sorted – by plastic type (HDPE, LDPE, PP, PS), color, and condition – and then shredded in Precious Plastic machines and processed into pellets. From these, new products are created: from recycled bracelets to sustainable phone cases.
The Augsburger Allgemeine put it precisely:
"Buy a sustainable phone case and remove one kilogram of plastic from the ocean – that's the promise of the Augsburg startup Oceanmata."
If you want to know exactly what happens to the collected plastic, check out our detailed recycling process.
A startup that connects Augsburg and the world
What makes Oceanmata special: The bridge between Bavaria and Bali. Strategic planning, design, and company management happen in Augsburg. Collection, sorting, and recycling take place in Bali – where the plastic problem is most urgent. This combination of German engineering and local impact in Southeast Asia is unique.
The City of Augsburg has set an example with the "Made in Augsburg" award: innovation and sustainability belong together. And they can change the world from a Swabian garage.
Join the movement 🌊
Do you want to protect the ocean – with every purchase?
For every Oceanmata product, 1 kg of plastic is removed from the ocean. Check out our collection and become part of the movement.
Entdecke passende Oceanmata Produkte
