by Water Revolution Foundation | 12 Mar 2025 | News
We are delighted to welcome Aino Grapin to our board!
Aino brings an impressive 25 years of experience leading and growing businesses within the creative industries, spanning the arts, luxury, and technology sectors.
“I am honoured to join the Water Revolution Foundation board alongside an outstanding group of superyacht leaders, united in our commitment to advancing sustainability in our industry through collaboration and innovation. After leading the Sustainable Yacht Design Taskforce for the past four years, I look forward to deepening my involvement with WRF and further driving positive change within our industry.”
As Chief Executive of Winch Design, a position she’s held since 2016, Aino has demonstrated exceptional leadership, including guiding the company through its transition to employee ownership in 2021.
It is a pleasure to welcome Aino Grapin on board.
by Water Revolution Foundation | 12 Mar 2025 | News
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Martijn Munniksma!
Martijn brings extensive expertise in international tax law, including deep knowledge of restructurings, controversy, refinancing, rationalization, new business models, and supply chain optimization.
‘‘I’m delighted to have been accepted as new treasurer & secretary of this beautiful foundation. I look forward contributing to and working with all team members and other stakeholders to further incentivize our joined, common commitment to preserve oceans and reduce the footprint of the yachting industry.’’
His current role is a Tax Partner in the International Tax Practice at EY Amsterdam. He has been with EY since 2006 and has completed two secondments to the Dutch desk in New York.
We look forward to working alongside Martijn. Welcome aboard!
by Water Revolution Foundation | 19 Feb 2025 | News
We are proud to announce that on Tuesday 11 February 2025, Water Revolution Foundation was named a representative body to participate in the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice. We will be supporting the implementation of Sustainability Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
This is great recognition of the public benefit organisation (PBO) status we have had since 2019, and the mission we have been pursuing since our inception to underline the intrinsic connection between yachting and the ocean.
We will present our innovative Ocean Assist programme, shifting from philanthropy to reinvestment, and showcase yachting’s commitment to ocean well-being.
More details to be shared in the upcoming time.
Read about Ocean Assist
by Laurie Foulon | 12 Feb 2025 | News
On 15 January 2025, F/YACHTING and Water Revolution Foundation co-hosted a unique workshop in Austria for superyacht designers, project managers, and shipyard representatives: The Future of Sustainable Design.
Did you know that 80% of environmental impact is determined after 20% of the design process is complete?
This full-day programme, part of a 4-part series, enabled deep and honest conversations to define new collaborations to address and anticipate the evolving design needs in the industry:
🔹future-proofing design: choosing better materials with an LCA perspective,
🔹measuring the responsibility of our environmental impact as an industry,
🔹defining new concepts around sustainable luxury and how we design
🔹going “Beyond Teak”.
Participants, present from around Europe, were also taken for an exclusive tour of the impressive F/LIST facilities, a third-generation family business with strong craftmanship values, and with a dedication to sustainability through its impressive F/LAB enabled the group to touch and feel the materials of tomorrow: from cornflour leather to crushed stone floors or apricot-kernel-meets-cork flooring options, the ‘wow’ effect was absolutely achieved. Divided in breakout groups, the attendees were then able to brainstorm the future of luxury, how sustainability can be approached as the new trendy choice for yachting, best ways to get to know and approach the design choices of tomorrow’s customers, but also an entire session dedicated to the future of teak.
In this intimate setting, Water Revolution Foundation indeed launched the new chapter of the Designers’ Protocol: Alternative Decking Solutions, co-written by our Environmental Expert Awwal Idris and Teakdecking Systems, Inc.
The Protocol breathes the collective intent of the yacht design community to put sustainability conversations at the heart of their relationships with clients.
You can read more about and download the Protocol here: https://waterrevolutionfoundation.org/guidelines/designers-protocol/
Stay tuned for the next dates
This workshop was #1 of a 4-part series.
Are you interested to join the next one?
Reach out to our team info@waterrevolutionfoundation.org.
by Water Revolution Foundation | 10 Dec 2024 | News
Delivering more environmentally-conscious alternatives across the superyacht industry, Via Maris Njørdal by Speira, Reflow Marine by Reflow Marine, and Slimline 5 by Octo Marine are the most recent additions to our Hub of Verified Solutions.
Each solution has been evaluated through an in-depth Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) conducted by independent research institutions, comparing their environmental impact against standard industry products to ensure measurable improvements across multiple categories.
Via Maris Njørdal
Speira’s Via Maris Njørdal plates deliver a high-performance alternative to traditional aluminium. With superior strength, bending properties, and weldability, these plates incorporate a significant amount of recycled material, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint. The conducted LCA reveals environmental improvements of up to 15%, underscoring its potential to lower environmental impacts in the yachting industry.
Reflow Marine
Reflow Marine offers an innovative approach to extending the lifespan of pipe systems by restoring aged or corroded components. This process reduces environmental impacts up to 83.75% across various categories. An 82.10% overall reduction in the Ecopoint category – accounting for human, ecosystem, and resource depletion impacts – highlights the robustness of this solution.Sensitivity analysis confirm the robustness of these results, even with increase in energy consumption and raw material impacts.
Slimline 5
Octo Marine’s Slimline 5 system provides an efficient onboard alternative to bottled water. Producing high-quality drinking water directly from the tap, it eliminates plastic waste while saving valuable storage space. The LCA results show reductions in environmental impact ranging from 56% to 99.9%. Overall, this system achieves a 99.6% decrease in total potential impacts, making it a suitable choice for reducing pollution and resource consumption.
Suppliers take action
The addition of these solutions to the Hub underscores the importance of verified innovations in advancing environmental sustainability. Suppliers are invited to join the movement by undergoing the LCA process, showcasing the credibility of their products, and benefiting from enhanced industry recognition.
Discover more about the verification process and how to get started by visiting our dedicated webpage!
Frequently Asked Questions
by Water Revolution Foundation | 29 Nov 2024 | News
As we celebrate our 6th anniversary, it also means that the founding board members have reached their maximum of two consecutive three-year terms serving on the foundation’s board.
This limit, which they themselves introduced, reflects a commitment to strong governance and the frequent renewal of this crucial leadership group. We recognise that transitioning five of the seven board members simultaneously presents a risk of instability, therefore have carefully designed a scheme for gradual succession of its founding members.
Gradual Succession Scheme
The table below provides a transparent overview of the planned transitions for the founding board members:
Founder |
Successor |
Date of Transition (every 4 months) |
Louis van Beurden |
Martijn Munniksma |
1 Dec 2024 |
Philippe Briand |
Aino-Leena Grapin |
1 Mar 2025 |
Henk de Vries III |
TBD |
1 Jul 2025 |
Martin Redmayne |
TBD |
1 Nov 2025 |
Note that the fifth founder and initiator of the Foundation, Dr. Vienna Eleuteri, has been granted an exemption from the maximum board term. However, her position and mandate to represent the foundation in the international and scientific community is being reviewed and reconfirmed every three years, aligning with the standard three-year board term. The two remaining board members, Peter Lürssen and Carolina Corral, will reach the moment of succession respectively in February 2026 and January 2028.
This phased approach aims to preserve the stability of the Foundation and ensure a seamless handover of responsibilities. Updates on the appointment of new board members will be shared as they occur. Water Revolution Foundation remains committed to its mission of driving environmental sustainability in the yachting industry, supported by a strong and evolving leadership team.
With kind regards,
Water Revolution Foundation Board members