The Swedish teen activist is sailing to a major New York climate conference to make a point about flying. The high-speed yacht's sponsors including German carmaker BMW and Swiss wealth manager EFG International.

Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg is en route to a United Nations climate conference on August 12 in New York – and she hopes to reach the city by mid-month in a high-speed sailing yacht she is traveling on instead of flying. The Swedish teenager has become the public face of climate activism after appearances at high-profile venues like Davos' World Economic Forum.

Her New York trip, aboard the 18-meter Monaco-backed racing yacht «Malizia», will take approximately two weeks depending on weather conditions. The yacht is normally sponsored by German carmaker BMW as well as by Swiss private bank EFG International (pictured below), as French website «Valeurs» (in French) reported.

EFG 502

Neither are brands which are usually associated with climate activism: though BMW is lauded as a more climate-friendly carmaker than rivals, auto emissions nevertheless are a major concern for activists. Swiss banks like EFG are regularly targeted by environmentalists keen for the institutes to cut ties to climate-hostile industries and clients.

The Swiss wealth manager doesn't issue an annual corporate sustainability report, but says in its code of conduct that it «is currently considering further ways of enhancing its commitment to sustainable development and a reduced carbon footprint.»

BMW Ambassador

Thunberg, who is reportedly traveling with her father and a documentary filmmaker, tweeted that the Atlantic trip isn't sponsored:

She was invited by renowned German skipper Boris Hermann and by Pierre Casiraghi, the son of Monaco's Princess Caroline. Casiraghi represented a new BMW roadster model the carmaker unveiled in May. Malizia, the yacht, was is owned by German property tycoon Gerhard Senft, who bought it from Swiss-French finance group Edmond de Rothschild.