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687 Kilometers for Clean Water: VisualVest Becomes Germany Partner of the Danube Challenge
In summer 2026, we are launching our most ambitious mission yet: the first complete microplastics mapping of the Danube. 2,850 kilometers across ten countries, more than 250 water samples, and a scientific foundation for all of Europe. Along the first 687 kilometers – from the source in Donaueschingen to Passa – we will be supported by a new partner: VisualVest.
For years, we have been working on a question many prefer not to ask: What is actually in the water we drink, swim in, and that flows through the rivers of our continent? With the Danube 2850 Challenge, we are addressing this question more consistently than ever before. In July 2026, extreme swimmer Dr. Joseph Heß will swim the entire Danube – from its source in Donaueschingen to its mouth at the Black Sea. He will be accompanied by our scientific team, which will collect and analyze water samples at more than 250 measuring points.
A mission of this scale can only succeed together. That’s why we are especially pleased to welcome VisualVest as the German partner of the Danube Challenge. The digital wealth management and ETF investment platform from Frankfurt will accompany us along the German section of the expedition: 687 kilometers from the source to Passau – the beginning of the journey, the first stretch, the first data.
Why the Danube and why now?
An estimated 4.2 tons of microplastics flow through the Danube every day, equivalent to the weight of 42,000 plastic bottles. Around 83 million people in ten countries depend on this water. Yet no one knows whether these estimates are accurate, as there is no comprehensive data on microplastic pollution in the Danube.
Without such data, EU policy cannot act. This is exactly where we come in. The expedition’s results will feed into the international Global Map of Microplastics and form the basis for research, regulation, and effective measures across Europe. It is the first complete microplastics mapping of a river system of this scale and it is intended to set a precedent.
Dr. Katrin Schuhen, founder and managing director of Wasser 3.0, on the new partnership:
“We like to talk about big solutions, but big solutions need partners who take action. With VisualVest, we have gained exactly such a partner: a company that doesn’t delegate responsibility but lives it. The fact that a digital wealth manager and investment platform is part of our mission sends a strong signal. It shows that clean water is not a niche issue, but a future topic that has reached the financial sector. Along the first 687 kilometers, we are laying the foundation for everything that follows – scientifically, communicatively, and politically. We’re delighted that VisualVest is joining us for this beginning.”
Who is VisualVest and why are they a good fit?
VisualVest was founded in 2015 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Investment Group, combining the financial expertise of one of Germany’s leading fund companies with the flexibility of a fintech. Private investors use its robo-advisor to invest in diversified portfolios, either traditional or sustainability-focused or independently purchase ETFs via SelectETF. In addition, VisualVest acts as a technical platform provider, developing investment solutions for the cooperative financial group.
As early as 2016, VisualVest became the first robo-advisor in Germany to offer sustainability-oriented investment strategies.
What convinced us: sustainability at VisualVest is not a marketing label, but part of the company’s philosophy. More than 90% of business travel has been conducted using public transport since its founding. Only green electricity is used in its offices. An internal sustainability team actively drives the topic forward. This mindset – scientifically grounded, long-term oriented, and consistently implemented both internally and externally – aligns with what we do.
Katja Speck, Managing Director of VisualVest, adds:
“Anyone who invests in the future should also invest in what makes that future possible. Clean water is not a given, it is a resource for which we bear responsibility. The Danube Challenge combines scientific precision with values that matter to us as well. This combination of data, impact, and mindset reflects what VisualVest stands for as part of the cooperative financial group. We are very pleased to accompany the Wasser 3.0 team along the first 687 kilometers.”
Katja Speck © VisualVest
From the source to Passau – the German section
The German section runs from Donaueschingen across southern Germany to Passau. It is more than just the first stretch: it is the moment when the expedition comes to life. The first samples, the first analyses, the first stories. This is where scientific work and peak athletic performance begin to intertwine.
Dr. Joseph Heß is no stranger to extreme swimming. In 2022, the PhD engineer swam the entire Rhine in record time – 1,235 kilometers. Before that: the Elbe, the Strait of Gibraltar, the Fehmarn Belt, and the passage between Sardinia and Corsica. With the Danube, he is now taking on the longest distance of his life. His motivation is clear: he is not swimming for a record – he is swimming for science.
What will happen in summer 2026
For 60 days, the expedition will combine science, sport, and communication. Daily updates, live tracking, behind-the-scenes content, and conversations with the scientific team will make the journey tangible from day one. This will be followed by laboratory analyses, data evaluation, scientific publications, and EU briefings. A documentary film will ensure the story remains visible in the long term.
With VisualVest by our side, we are also bringing the message to an audience that is less often engaged with microplastics research: young, digitally savvy people who want to take responsibility with their investments, their consumption, and their attention. This is exactly where the multipliers emerge who can turn data into action.
Thank you - and get involved
We would like to thank the VisualVest team for their trust and commitment. Partnerships like this show that companies from very different sectors can achieve something together when their values align. Clean water concerns us all and everyone can contribute.
Want to follow the mission? We’ll keep you updated on our channels. Want to do more? Join the movement using the hashtag #MyStrokeCounts, with a donation, your voice, or your reach. Every stroke counts. Every sample counts. Everyone counts.
Recommended reading
“Kriminalfall Mikroplastik (EN: Microplastics Crime Case)” – the new book by Dr. Katrin Schuhen
The perpetrator is invisible. The traces are everywhere. In her new book “Microplastics Crime Case – Investigations into a Crime of the Century,” Dr. Katrin Schuhen takes up the investigation. No indictment, no alarmism, just evidence, responsible parties, and concrete options for action. For anyone who wants to understand what lies behind the flood of microplastics and who no longer wants to wait for all-clear signals.
The book is produced according to Cradle-to-Cradle principles and 100% of the proceeds go toward research and education for water free of microplastics. Another way to contribute, on every single page.
