Moemen Sobh
Moemen is a climate activist and architect from Egypt, committed to sustainability and empowering marginalised communities. He founded Visenleer, a social enterprise that turns ocean waste into sustainable textiles, restores biodiversity in El Manzala Lake, and promotes environmental education in schools. Through Visenleer, Moemen tackles water scarcity, fast fashion, and biodiversity loss while creating new income streams for local fishermen and artisans. With a vision to scale beyond Egypt, Moemen continues to lead ocean conservation and train communities to turn waste into opportunity and climate action into lasting change.
Egypt discards over 10 tons of fish waste every day, threatening marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of thousands of families (World Bank).
Across the Mediterranean and Red Sea, pollution and overfishing are accelerating ecosystem collapse. In response, Moemen founded Visenleer, a social enterprise turning ocean plastic and fish waste into regenerative textiles while restoring aquatic habitats. Growing up in Port Said, he witnessed firsthand how environmental degradation devastated fishing communities, including his own family.
Through this programme, Moemen aims to prove that discarded materials—fish skin, seaweed, and ocean plastic—can become premium textiles that rival conventional fashion while creating new income streams for marginalised groups. His vision includes expanding sustainable production across the MENA region and introducing circular design education for youth, sparking an industry-wide shift toward responsible fashion.
By 2025, Visenleer aims to reduce Port Said’s fish waste from 10 tons to 700kg daily, improve the livelihoods of 25,000 fishermen, and expand into 8 Egyptian communities and 3 international sites by 2026. Moemen’s work demonstrates how creativity and sustainability can transform fashion into a force for ecological restoration and social resilience.
“My goal is to demonstrate that meaningful lasting change stems from applying creative thinking through purposeful designs and sustainable alternatives with community-driven solutions.”
Moemen Sobh
