Melati Wijsen

Melati Wijsen has been fighting plastic pollution since she was 12 years old. She co-founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with her younger sister, Isabel. Melati also started the people-powered movement One Island One Voice and the social enterprise, Mountain Mamas. Bye Bye Plastic Bags is leading the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals by example. Their years of education and protesting efforts led to the official ban of plastic bags in their home island in Bali, Indonesia. Additionally, she created YOUTHTOPIA, a platform designed to empower young people through impactful peer-to-peer programs, equipping them with essential skills to become effective changemakers. Her goal is to establish YOUTHTOPIA as the leading resource for youth interested in frontline activism.

Recently, Wijsen served as co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s GPAP committee, was part of the inaugural Expert Advisory Panel for the Earthshot Prize, and premiered her documentary, Bigger Than Us, at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in 2021. She has shared her insights on prominent stages, including the United Nations, and has been recognized by Forbes Indonesia as one of the country’s most inspiring women. In 2018, she was named one of Time magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens, featured in CNN’s Young Wonders: A CNN Heroes Special, and included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list. Melati has opened the stage for President Barack Obama at the Ziggo Dome (Amsterdam), moderated National Geographic’s Sustainability Week (Bangkok), and has just signed a book deal with Harper Collins.