Find us at The Superyacht Forum & METSTRADE 2025

Find us at The Superyacht Forum & METSTRADE 2025

by | 10 Nov 2025 | News

The show season is in full swing, and we are excited to return to The Superyacht Forum and METSTRADE as a strategic partner – and to the very place where the foundation was created in 2018. This year, our focus is on the compass to navigate uncharted waters together. From implementing Roadmap 2050 and advancing the Ocean Assist programme to moderating a session on the next steps for HVO, we’re driving collective progress toward a regenerative yachting sector defined by innovation, responsibility, and shared ambition.

The Superyacht Forum

The week will kick off with our Environmental Scientist, Awwal Idris, taking part in a panel discussion on NXT-GEN Anti-fouling: Asset Performance & Ocean Legacy on Monday 17 November at 14:45–16:00 in rooms E105/E106. This session will explore the latest innovative antifouling technologies and assess the essential need for global collaboration – from industry leaders to authorities – to mitigate this widespread impact.

Also on Monday 17 November at 14:45–16:00 in rooms E102/E108, our Technical Director, Hanna Dabrowska, will moderate a session on The Next Steps for HVO. This session is designed for C-suite leaders to tackle the real barriers to adoption, from quality and engine compatibility to logistics and policy gaps. Together, we’ll drive the transition forward, using collaboration and innovation to shape a future strategy for sector-wide adoption.

On Tuesday 18 November at 11:45–13:00 at The Superyacht Forum, we will discuss the recent IMO postponement: Net-Zero Framework. Our Executive Director, Robert van Tol, will join legislative experts on stage to discuss whether the postponement is a setback or an opportunity for the yachting sector, in alignment with Roadmap 2050.

On Tuesday 18 November at 14:45–16:00 at The Superyacht Forum, our Initiator and Vice Chair, Vienna Eleuteri, will take a closer look at how the yachting community can take actionable steps to implement Roadmap 2050 through adopting Ocean Assist. This session builds on last year’s roadmap vision and will explore concrete tools, pathways, and collaborations needed to accelerate change across the industry. A ticket is required at The Superyacht Forum to attend this session.

METSTRADE 2025

On Wednesday 19 November at 11:45–12:15 on the METSTRADE stage, Smart Interiors Horizon is hosting a session on Redefining Luxury. This discussion will explore how sustainability can be seamlessly embedded into design and production as a natural evolution of quality, creativity, and excellence. Through diverse perspectives and real project examples, the speakers will reflect on how interiors can embody both aesthetic value and environmental consciousness, maintaining timeless appeal while addressing contemporary challenges.

On Wednesday 19 November at 12:00–14:30, we are hosting our annual Matchmaking Workshop. This workshop brings together our Verified Solutions with new-build and refit yards, designers, and yacht managers for a unique opportunity to exchange insights, foster collaboration, and accelerate sustainable innovation across the supply chain.

On Thursday 20 November at 12:15–12:45 on the Superyacht Stage, our Technical Director, Hanna Dabrowska, and PhD student Ludovico, along with a panel of experts, will explore what “Yacht 2030” means for design, technology, and sustainability — showcasing the innovations that will define the next generation of superyachts as we look toward a future where performance, responsibility, and regeneration go hand in hand.

We are proud to present this year’s edition of the Superyacht Sustainability Route at METSTRADE 2025. Continuing our shared commitment to transparency and measurable impact, the Route highlights LCA-verified, third-party–assessed solutions featured within our Hub of Verified Solutions. Look out for the Sustainability Route stamp throughout the show floor — a signpost to verified innovation driving real environmental progress. Explore our Hub of Verified Solutions.

We look forward to seeing you at The Superyacht Forum and METSTRADE! For questions or more information, don’t hesitate to contact us.

We are thrilled to welcome Jemma Lampkin to our board!

We are thrilled to welcome Jemma Lampkin to our board!

by | 10 Nov 2025 | News

We are thrilled to welcome Jemma Lampkin to our Board of Directors!

Jemma joins as the Yachting Supply Chain representative, bringing a perspective that reflects the broader ecosystem and strengthens sector representation on our board.

Jemma was appointed Global Commercial Director of AkzoNobel’s Yacht Coatings Division in 2022. With over a decade of experience at AkzoNobel, including senior roles within the Aerospace Coatings business, she brings a wealth of expertise to the position.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Columbia University and an Executive MBA from the National University of Singapore. Widely regarded as an inspirational leader and a strong role model for women in the marine industry, Jemma is deeply committed to advancing sustainable innovation within yacht coatings, driving initiatives that reduce environmental impact while maintaining performance excellence. As a frequent spokesperson at prominent industry events such as METSTRADE, she shares strategic insights on talent development, emerging technologies and the evolving role of sustainability in shaping the future of the marine sector.

“Becoming part of the Water Revolution Foundation board offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with industry experts equally passionate about embedding sustainability in yachting. The supply chain is instrumental for the acceleration of change through innovative product development. It is crucial that solutions reach the decision makers as early as possible, but also have their credentials checked. I’m honoured to have the opportunity to bring that perspective to the Foundation as we continue to drive meaningful, measurable progress towards a more sustainable future for our industry.”

Welcome to the Revolution, Jemma!

Water Revolution Foundation at Monaco Yacht Show

Water Revolution Foundation at Monaco Yacht Show

by | 11 Sep 2025 | News

The 2025 edition of the Monaco Yacht Show is less than a month away, and we are excited to return as strategic partners for the fourth consecutive year. This year, we will launch our new Ocean Assist Programme to the wider yachting community, and environmentally friendlier solutions that we vetted for the Blue Wake programme that will be showcased throughout the show. 

The Inaugural Blue Wake Programme

24-27 September | Show Wide

The Blue Wake Programme is the new environmental sustainability programme that spotlights the most impactful eco-responsible solutions in the industry. Each featured solution undergoes a rigorous vetting process managed by our team to ensure it meets our high standards for environmental performance. These solutions will be showcased throughout the Monaco Yacht Show. 

The Blue Wake Awards will take place on Tuesday evening, we are pleased to be involved in the selecting of nominees for the jury’s consideration.

Designer Gathering

24 September | 8:15-9:30 | Espen Oeino Design Office

Members of our Designer Taskforce will come together for a social breakfast gathering to regroup and reaffirm the Roadmap 2050 targets for design to be turned into a compelling programme. We are grateful to Espen and his team for their warm hospitality. 

Roundtable: Rethinking Charter

24 September | 10:00 – 11:30 | Conference Hall

Our Executive Director, Robert van Tol, will participate in a roundtable discussion on rethinking the charter experience. The panel will explore what sustainable chartering looks like in practice, from both client and crew perspectives. Topics will include:

  • Reducing waste onboard
  • Switching to biodegradable and reef-safe products
  • Sourcing sustainable and local food
  • Reducing fuel consumption
  • Educating clients on responsible yachting

Ocean Assist Launch

24 September | 11:40 – 12:10 | Conference Hall

The Ocean Assist Programme is designed to make ocean conservation tangible and measurable. Each Ocean Assist Unit combines verified CO2 offsetting with regenerative contributions, allowing anyone in the industry to move beyond net-zero as the target and into nature positive.

Hand-Delivering YETI Lite Reports

24 – 26 September

In collaboration with Monaco Yacht Show, we will hand-deliver complimentary estimated YETI scores to yachts on display. These reports provide captains and chief engineers with a benchmark, showing how their yacht compares to others on display and across the wider fleet, with an accuracy of up to 90%. Mainly to trigger interest to do a full YETI assessment.

We look forward to seeing you at the show! Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments.

Water Revolution Foundation’s Three Year Plan 2025-2028

Water Revolution Foundation’s Three Year Plan 2025-2028

by | 27 Aug 2025 | News

We are delighted to share our next three-year plan for 2025-2028 that will carry out the Water Revolution Foundation, its partners and the superyacht industry to a more sustainable future. 

The board of directors has defined the planned activities for the third three-year plan for the foundation. These continue to exist of realistic and achievable deliverables, to generate concrete output each year. Continuously delivering value and make progress towards the foundation’s mission. These deliverables will serve as KPI’s towards partners funding the foundation and activities. This list of activities is intended as a guide and is neither exhaustive nor legally binding.

Download our three-year plan for 2025-2028.

Water Revolution Foundation brings the leisure maritime industry to UN Ocean Conference

Water Revolution Foundation brings the leisure maritime industry to UN Ocean Conference

by | 27 Jun 2025 | News

Nice, 25 June 2025 – In a week of utmost importance for global ocean governance, Water Revolution Foundation inscribed the yachting industry into the official agenda, and pioneered a regenerative blue finance mechanism with its Ocean Assist Programme.

Participating in high-level panels and roundtables: a voice for the industry

From 9 to 13 June 2025, Water Revolution Foundation’s delegation reported from the grounds of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference held in Nice, France: Mr Henk de Vries III, Chairman at WRF, Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Initiator and Vice President of WRF – and architect of the Ocean Assist Programme, Mr Jorge Barbosa, Blue Economy Advisor – former UN DESA & World Bank expert, and Ms Laurie Foulon, Programme Lead & Communications Lead of the Ocean Assist Programme took part in engagements in the exclusive Blue Zone, following Special Accreditation obtained through the foundation’s science-based approach.

Dr Vienna Eleuteri, recently awarded with a noble title, Woman of Excellence by the Government of Italy and elevating her science to high-level negotiations since COP23 in 2016, also participated in key speaking engagements at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF), preceding the Conference on 7 & 8 June, in Monaco, linking superyachting with the blue economy in a panel hosted by the “MENA Blue Finance Leadership Think Tank”.

The team was also present at important panels hosted by the IMO, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs  (UN DESA), United Nations Department of Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UN Global Compact: important platforms carrying opportunities to position our industry in the future of maritime regulations.

Key highlights of UNOC3 for the yachting industry

Supported by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the yachting segment and maritime industry were recognised as key actors of the private sector and a driving force in contributing to a healthy Ocean. The maritime sectors were recognised as holding transformative potential to become, as a collective, key contributors to ocean health, and to lead by example in building a new, contribution-based economy rooted in regeneration, responsibility, and respect for the Ocean.

Eleuteri and Barbosa’s speaking engagements in the exclusive Blue Zone included an official address in front of key delegates at the Ocean Action Panel: A powerful roadmap to move from commitments to concrete results. 

Water Revolution Foundation’s hosting partner, the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD), was the centre stage for the launch of Ocean Assist on 13th June. A keynote by Dr Vienna Eleuteri followed by a scientific-based panel composed of Adriana Del Borghi (University of Genoa and Tetis Institute – key academic partners in developing the Ocean Assist standard), Richard Unsworth (Swansea University/Project Seagrass), Ludovic Arnaud (UNCTAD) and Dr Eleuteri was moderated by esteemed Ameer Eweida [IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas], deeper anchoring the roots of the foundation beyond product and into true validated science.

The delegation also attended key addresses at Ocean Action Panels dedicated to Advancing sustainable ocean-based economies, sustainable maritime transport and coastal community resilience leaving no one behind”, “Blue Tourism: Advancing Sustainable and Resilient Ocean Economies for People and Planet”,  and took part in panels such as MENA’s Blue Policy Transformative Leadership Roundtable, Sustainable and Resilient Ports.

Water Revolution Foundation’s mission: advancing ocean regeneration through industry transformation, is now facilitated with a dedicated industry-curated investment in regenerative blue economy.

What is the regenerative blue economy?

“The conference emphasized that protecting the oceans requires a scientifically grounded approach, with tools such as the creation of an “IPCC for the Ocean.” Effective governance must be rooted in science to ensure decisive, urgent actions. And this is what Ocean Assist was founded on” – Dr Vienna Eleuteri.

Blue Economy: Sustainable tourism practices that leverage marine and coastal resources while ensuring their preservation and regeneration. It encompasses activities like eco-tourism, coastal wildlife watching, diving, and water sports, which contribute to economic growth while maintaining the health of marine ecosystems.

Launching Ocean Assist at top level

“Integrating regenerative investment into our businesses’ value propositions is the way to preserve a future for all” – Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Project Lead, Ocean Assist.

Ocean Assist is Water Revolution Foundation’s new programme that channels financial and strategic support from the maritime industry into scientifically validated marine restoration projects. This blue finance mechanism, containing a Standard, curated portfolio, and “units” as its currency, enables stakeholders to offset their ecological footprint while promoting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and sustainable ocean practices. Ocean Assist is in support of the Regenerative Blue Economy, redefining the relationship between economic growth and marine conservation by prioritising restoration and resilience over sustainability.

By curating projects and adopting scientific tools that are urgently needed to protect the oceans, the superyacht community can maximise financial and non-financial resources to support nature-based solutions and aid the global effort to mitigate ecological impacts: leading the way towards net-zero, empowered to reach nature-positivity.

This collective and traceable approach includes coordination, shared structural commitment, and guidance by leading scientists in the field, seamlessly integrating into the industry’s Regenerative Roadmap 2050.

“We use the ocean as a resource, but we do not give back as we need to. Being aware of our sector-specific ecological footprint is needed but it is not enough. Sustainability is wrongly popular for focusing on the environmental impact, but there are many more parameters such as social and governance: Ocean Assist now links the overall sustainability impact of the private sector with the blue economy, by facilitating investment into transparent ocean conservation.”

“Simplifying science was the mission of the Ocean Assist Programme: making it readily available with trust, a gauge of transparency, and anticipating future reporting requirements of our industry. This was only possible through a deep investigation of and intimate collaboration with the yachting industry, coupled with validated science and thoroughly-defined metrics. The return on investment is not measured financially, but truly by a regenerated nature capital”.

A call to engagement for the industry

As the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) came to a close in Nice, one message stood out clearly for our industry: a healthy, productive, and resilient Ocean is no longer just a shared vision – it’s a global imperative! And it is now that the yachting industry can position itself as leaders of the regenerative blue economy. To clarify: offsetting is not the first thing you should do on the quest towards sustainability, but certainly should be the last thing you do.

The Foundation, its partners and board members call for all industry leaders: begin your sustainability journey by prioritizing actions that reduce your environmental impact. Next, focus on targeted investments like Ocean Assist Units to directly strengthen your nature-positive footprint.

“Nature is not our stakeholder – it is the one and only shareholder.”

Visit https://waterrevolutionfoundation.org/ocean-conservation/ocean-assist/ to learn more.

We are attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice

We are attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice

by | 6 Jun 2025 | News

We are elated to be heading to the UN Ocean Conference next week!

As part of our mission in advancing ocean regeneration through industry transformation, Water Revolution Foundation (WRF) – with Special Accreditation to access high-level sessions and policy roundtables in the exclusive Blue Zone – will be actively contributing to the lead-up and formal participation in the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), held in Nice, France from 9 to 13 June 2025.

Reporting from the grounds of this key conference, our delegation will be composed of Henk de Vries, Chairman at WRF, Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Initiator and Vice President of WRF – and architect of the Ocean Assist Programme, Jorge Barbosa, Blue Economy Advisor – former UN DESA & World Bank expert, and Laurie Foulon, Strategic Partnerships & Communications Lead of the Ocean Assist Programme.

Dr Vienna Eleuteri is also participating in speaking engagements at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum (BEFF), preceding the Conference on 7 & 8 June, in Monaco.

Reporting from the inside

Our engagement is anchored in announcing the Ocean Assist programme, formally submitted as a Voluntary Commitment under SDG 14 (Sustainable Development Goals 14: Life below Water), and structured to scale measurable regenerative impact from the yachting sector into global ocean agendas. The Ocean Assist programme bridges mandatory compliance (EU ETS, IMO MEPC 83) and voluntary leadership.

The full schedule can be found here, our presence will include: 

📅 7–8 June 2025: Monaco Blue Economy & Finance Forum – speaking engagements, under private invitation from Prince Albert of Monaco

📅 9-13 June 2025:  attending Green and Blue Zone events, speaking on different panels and roundtables, honouring invitations to exclusive receptions.

📅 13 June 2025: hosting the official Ocean Assist side event with UNCTAD: United Nations Trade and Development – please click here for the event programme and to register. We will be joined by a panel of speakers, including from the University of Genoa, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), TETIS Institute Srl and Project Seagrass.

What is Ocean Assist?

“Integrating regenerative investment into our businesses’ value propositions is the way to preserve a future for all” – Dr Vienna Eleuteri, Project Lead, Ocean Assist.

Ocean Assist is Water Revolution Foundation’s new programme that channels financial and strategic support from the maritime industry into scientifically validated marine restoration projects. This blue finance mechanism, containing a Standard, curated portfolio, and “units” as its currency, enables stakeholders to offset their ecological footprint while promoting biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and sustainable ocean practices. Ocean Assist is in support of the Regenerative Blue Economy, redefining the relationship between economic growth and marine conservation by prioritising restoration and resilience over sustainability.

By curating projects and adopting scientific tools that are urgently needed to protect the oceans, the superyacht community can maximise financial and non-financial resources to support nature-based solutions and aid the global effort to mitigate ecological impacts: leading the way towards net-zero, empowered to reach nature-positivity.

This collective and traceable approach includes coordination, shared structural commitment, and guidance by leading scientists in the field, seamlessly integrating into the industry’s Regenerative Roadmap 2050.

In practice

Going beyond sustainability, each Ocean Assist Unit combines 1t of CO2 in the form of tradeable carbon credits (VERs), with 1t of CO2 as Regenerative Contribution Units (RCUs): resulting in 1 Ocean Assist Unit repairing the equivalent of 2t of CO2 emitted, protecting biodiversity directly linked to the yachting industry’s supply chain.

All initiatives contributing to the Ocean Assist portfolio undergo independent scientific evaluation and are aligned with the Ocean Assist Standard through a rigorous screening and monitoring process, truly aligning the Programme with Global Ocean Governance.

The Ocean Assist Standard itself is:

  • Scientifically validated and certified by RINA
  • Managed by a dedicated team within Water Revolution Foundation
  • Registered and transacted on the Eco2Care climate registry.

Upon transaction, an organisation buying Ocean Assist Units will be attributed official recognition via verified certificates: a Certificate of Permanent Withdrawal (VER), and the Ocean Assist Standard Certificate (2 tCO₂eq contribution).

A mechanism to serve the 3-R Model towards Regenerative Yachting

Following the 3R concept of Reduce, Remove and Restore, instilled in the Foundation by Dr Vienna Eleuteri, the Ocean Assist Programme was setup to support compensation efforts that move the industry toward nature-positive outcomes. 

Moving away from the controversial carbon credit model, stakeholders are encouraged to acquire Ocean Assist Units once any optimisation pathways within one’s supply chain or onboard operations to Reduce or Remove has been exhausted: not replacing these measures.

We invite any stakeholders of the yachting and maritime industries, captain and operators of yachts and superyachts, to take the next collective step to lead voluntary commitment of ocean conservation.

Visit https://waterrevolutionfoundation.org/ocean-conservation/ocean-assist/ to learn more.