Mathilda D’Silva speaks to ICON Singapore about turning personal health struggles into action, pioneering marine conservation in Singapore through science, technology and community, and urging real solutions to ocean pollution and public health. (Mandarin article)

Mathilda D’Silva, founder of Ocean Purpose Project, shares her perfect weekend which involves outrigging, canoeing, dragon boating and paddleboarding - unplugging when out at sea. This feature promotes her upcoming “Ode To The Sea” performance at Singapore International Festival of Arts 2025, blending music, sustainability and culture.

Ocean Purpose Project was selected to be part of the CGI Greenhouse in 2024. Over 30 entrepreneurs came together at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2024 Annual Meeting in Hilton for New York Climate Week to identify ways their organizations can grow and be more effective in addressing our greatest global challenges.

The EcoFriend Award given to OPP to recognise the  achievements of Singaporeans who made a significant contribution to  sustainability. From school teachers, students, community volunteers, or hailing from the public or private sectors, these individuals have all dedicated their personal time and effort to protect, promote, and improve our environment.

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Ocean Purpose Project (OPP) is inviting participants from all backgrounds to join a unique series of hands-on design hackathons, taking place from 15 to 19 September as a community event of Singapore Design Week 2025.

Ocean Purpose Project (OPP) is a Singapore-based social enterprise that turns ocean pollution into solutions, recognised by UNESCO for innovations such as plastic-to-hydrogen technology and seaweed-based bioremediation, combining grassroots excellence, community action, science and blue-economy development to support UN goals for ocean health.

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After more than 40 years with Singapore’s largest rail system supplier, Alstom, the 72-year-old found herself embarking on a second – and very challenging – career as a global environmental activist at Ocean Purpose Project (OPP). Journey with OPP's Chief Operating Officer Mdm Margaret D'Cruz.

Former Singapore Idol finalist Mathilda D’silva performs for SIFF in Ode to the Sea is a powerful closing-night performance at Bedok Town Square blending music & ballet to tell Bedok’s story from fishing village to modern community, sea-level rise and plastic pollution with composer Dr Phillip Tan and performed by over 100 artists.

The Peak Singapore features Mathilda D'silva who turned a life-altering pollution accident into a small but mighty social enterprise, this Singapore entrepreneur is banishing plastic from oceans with the latest in sustainability tech.

After a personal health scare caused by ocean pollution, sea lover and enthusiastic media personality Mathilda D’Silva set out to find solutions with Ocean Purpose Project, a social enterprise dedicated to cleaning and protecting our oceans, starting in Singapore. Iconic photos taken by Susannah Jaffer in a photoshoot at Zerrin Studios.

Tatler spotlights three home‐grown businesses who share how they are maximising the value of resources by adopting a circular economy approach to sustainability. Here, Ocean Purpose Project founder Mathilda D’silva shares how the reason behind her passion for ocean conservation is a personal one

Singapore Global Network uncovers a story of a Pasir Ris resident representing her Singaporean beach with pride. After polluted waters at a dragon boat race plunged her into ill health, Mathilda D’Silva founded Ocean Purpose Project to find real solutions that benefit coastal communities.

Design Singapore, Aiden T, The Shelter Company, Ipse Ipsa Ipsum join forces to invite design lovers, changemakers, students, and seniors are invited to take part in a unique series of hands-on design hackathons during Singapore Design Week.

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Ocean Purpose Project (OPP), the award-winning social enterprise creating a significant impression on marine conservation through its innovative and impactful projects is the newest addition to TheOneHourProject’s (TOHP) growing partner organizations.

Mathilda D’Silva is an Obama Foundation Asia Pacific Leader for 2024-2025. Selected by President Barack Obama, 1st Lady Michelle Obama and Maya Soetoro, Mathilda works with low-income communities, Indigenous groups such as the Orang Laut, and scientists to drive innovative and inclusive sustainability strategies.

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Stewardship Commons is a global platform designed to facilitate insights and discussions on sustainability, responsible investing, and stewardship leadership. As part of the feature, Ocean Purpose Project's mission is clear : turning pollution into solutions for a sustainable future.

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In this episode of Inconvenient Questions, legendary interviewer Viswa Sadasivan known for hard hitting interviews speaks to  Mathilda D’Silva shares how a dip in the waters of Boracay triggered a series of severe, life-altering physical conditions, sparking her global fight against water pollution.

Raise Singapore refers to the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE), which is dedicated to supporting and promoting social enterprises as a national registry in Singapore. OPP is listed as a Social Enterprise of good standing to generate measurable social and environmental impact.

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📻 “Saturday Mornings Show” host Glenn van Zutphen and co-host Neil Humphreys sit down with Mathilda D’Silva, Founder of Ocean Purpose Project and a familiar face from Singapore Idol, to explore how one woman’s health crisis sparked a national sustainability movement. 

OPP's UN listed project- Health of Oceans to Soil to Humans- Project Tanah Air in Singapore: Advancing Blue Carbon Sequestration & Seaweed Bioremediation to aid Sustainable Agriculture of Traditional Asian Herbs through Nature-Based Solutions.

Imagine a world that is hydrogen-powered with plastic-free oceans. Catch five Singapore start-ups as they showcase their innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. OPP as part of Shell Start Up Engine worked on the plastic to hydrogen modular unit and upstream and downstream applications.

Expat Living magazine speaks to Mathilda D'silva. After an accident in a polluted stretch of water left her severely ill, Mathilda D’silva became determined to do her part to clean up the oceans — starting with the waters surrounding her home in Singapore.

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The founder of Ocean Purpose Project hopes that the coastal district of Pasir Ris will be the model for a sustainable economy and community centred around the production and use of eco-friendly bioplastics produced from the sea.

Luxury magazine Millionaire Asia speaks to Mathilda D’Silva, the founder and CEO of Ocean Purpose Project — a Singaporean social enterprise helping to solve the ocean plastic crisis through plastic-to-fuel projects, bioplastics and behavioural change. 

In collaboration with the Ocean Purpose Project, Outdoor Adventures hosted the annual ‘Race for Oceans’ at Pasir Ris Beach. KOKOMO Beach Club gave discounts on our kayaks and SUPs. Every year, kayaking teams worldwide gather in the name of environmental sustainability for awareness of the plight of our seas. 

SOA has partnered with OPP/Ocean Purpose Project who uses innovative aquaculture to bioremediate algae blooms and protect fisheries. The 420 native seaweed and mussel lines they’ve installed filtered 14.7 million liters of seawater in 2023.

Mathilda, who graduated from Murdoch University is the Chief Purpose Officer at Ocean Purpose Project (OPP), which is a proudly Pasir Ris-based social enterprise driving ocean conservation and plastic pollution prevention.

Gathering of like minders, much insight was shared about how we could play our part, ending on a high note with dancing, and floor belting Lets Make That Change! A project collaboration driven by jazz performer Michelle Poh with Ocean Purpose Project, supported by The Vibez.

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During COVID-19, OPP staff delivered 220,000 meals and 7,000 sets of daily necessities—such as soap, shavers, and shampoo—to foreign workers confined to dormitories.
(This issue may only be viewed from multimedia station at NLB)

With our bioplastics and bioremediation projects, OPP uses seaweed and mussel lines as natural organic filters at the kelong at Pasir Ris. The evidence for efficacy ensures each mussel can filter 5-10 litres of water per hour.

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The Ocean Purpose Project (OPP) launched it's very first Beach Hub at Pasir Ris Park on 11 June 2022. The OPP Beach Hub serves as a platform for researchers to study algae collected from the sea, as well as for volunteers to network and gather to do clean-ups at the beaches.

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A monthly beach clean-up organised by the Church of Divine Mercy (CDM) in collaboration with Ocean Purpose Project (OPP), a social enterprise which focuses on ocean clean-up and conservation as part of Laudato Si is the Catholic Church's environmental programme.  

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La vie très médiatisée de Mathilda bascule un jour de compétition de dragon boat, où, au contact prolongé de l’eau, elle développe trois maladies auto-immunes qui lui provoque des taches de pigmentation sur la peau et les cheveux. 

Le projet Ocean Heroes montre comment une communication efficace peut contribuer à faire connaître les projets océaniques et à leur apporter un soutien solide, en faisant connaître leur travail sur diverses plateformes médiatiques.

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Discussions will focus on the “Seaweed breakthrough”, scientific targets for restoring wild seaweed habitats and developing a sustainable industry, the creation of a UN Seaweed Task Force, which aims to establish global governance and foster collaboration between UN agencies and governments

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Our ocean is more threatened than ever and urgently needs people to fight for it. At the UN Ocean Conferences in Lisbon (2022) and Nice (2025) we met many Ocean Heroes and talked to them about their work.

Ocean Purpose Project won GOLD for the Best Sustainable Startup Superstar.
Gold winner: Ocean Purpose Project
A social enterprise aimed at reducing plastic waste and promoting ocean conservation through community beach cleanups and impactful creative projects.

Unser Ozean ist mehr denn je bedroht und braucht dringend Menschen, die für ihn kämpfen. Auf den UN-Ozeankonferenzen in Lissabon und Nizza haben wir viele Ocean Heroes getroffen und mit ihnen über ihre Arbeit gesprochen.

Mathilda D'Silva's talk on "the yellow circle" at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2024 weaves a personal narrative of resilience, curiosity, and environmental advocacy.  

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This event offers a unique opportunity to highlight the untapped potential of seaweed in achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while demonstrating the growing global momentum behind this agenda.

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On June 14, a Netherlands-flagged dredger lost engine and steering control and collided with a Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, causing a major oil spill. Since then, the oil has spread to all three beaches on Sentosa and slicked our shoreline as far as East Coast Park.

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Scientists from Nanyang Technological University have found a way to convert plastic waste into low-carbon hydrogen, which is considered a cleaner fuel than natural gas. 

On October 26 2023, Azalea collaborated with Ocean Purpose Project (“OPP”), to clean up parts of Pasir Ris beach. Azalea collected 191.2 kg of trash: plastics, seaweed, and general waste, and has learnt firsthand how they can contribute to the preservation of our ecosystem as part of the community.

Ocean Purpose Project is a Singaporean Social Enterprise based on the Northern beaches of Pasir Ris that is leading community beach cleanups, viral sustainability & blue carbon marketing, plastic to hydrogen and seaweed bioremediation. We are Blue Economy advocates and proud champions of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. 

Ocean Purpose Project is a Singaporean Social Enterprise based on the Northern beaches of Pasir Ris that is leading community beach cleanups, viral sustainability & blue carbon marketing, plastic to hydrogen and seaweed bioremediation. 

Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a new method for plastic waste to be converted into hydrogen based on pyrolysis, a high temperature chemical process.

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Researchers working at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have created an innovative technique that mitigates plastic waste by converting it into clean hydrogen fuel.

According to Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and the Ocean Purpose Project, plastic waste can be converted into hydrogen through pyrolysis, a high-temperature chemical process.

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Using the new method, NTU scientists can now convert plastic litter into two main products, hydrogen and a new form of solid carbon known as carbon nanotubes. A highly value material used in biomedical and industrial applications.

NTU scientists is working with Bluefield Renewable Energy and Ocean Purpose Project to turn ocean plastic litter into hydrogen and carbon nanotubes.

Mathilda D’Silva is an ocean and blue economy advocate and CEO of Ocean Purpose Project, leading ocean sustainability initiatives in Singapore.

It may feel like nothing is moving forward with the gridlock on climate issues, but the wealth of ideas, projects and start-ups in Singapore shows otherwise, says CEO of Ocean Purpose Project Mathilda D’silva.

Discover how Mathilda D’Silva, Founder of Ocean Purpose Project, is driving meaningful action against ocean pollution in Singapore and beyond. This article spotlights her work in building a purpose-driven social enterprise that transforms waste challenges into sustainable solutions, while uplifting communities and protecting marine ecosystems.

We’re thrilled to announce that Mathilda Dsilva, CEO of Ocean Purpose Project (OPP), will be featured as a “Living Books” in the SDG Story Exchange at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD12)!

Ocean Purpose Project burst onto the scene in 2020, armed with a deep-rooted passion and
a burning desire to change the world. Sustainability lies at the heart of the company
through the development of bioplastics or major clean-up projects.
 

The ocean’s unsung heroes took centre stage at the Blue Water EduFest 2023. It’s not your typical awards ceremony; it’s a heartfelt tribute to the champions of marine conservation who are working tirelessly to save our oceans.

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We’re thrilled to share an incredible milestone for our founder, Jessica Novia, the driving force behind Bumi Journey and CarbonEthics, has been honoured as a finalist at The Blue Water Heroes Awards during Blue Water EduFest 2023! 

NSEW2050 Summit is aimed at spotlighting and mentoring a new cadre of global leaders, to be equipped with: Commerce and climate awareness. Profits and planet awareness. Global and local awareness.

Climate change at large has also adversely affected our food security. As we currently import 90 percent of our food supplies, droughts and floods in other parts of the world can affect global food supply, and ultimately, our own.

When it comes to plastics in the ocean, we all know it’s a massive problem. But how do you successfully reintroduce the problem in a fresh way that grabs people’s attention and truly drives large-scale impact? And how do you knock on ALL doors – including the “big bad polluters”?

This chapter explores a comprehensive approach to mitigating plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems, aligning recommendations with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Explore inventive approaches to protect our oceans from pollution, examining how innovative business models and technologies can intercept pollution at its source, considering the role of reimagined traditional industries in preventing marine pollution.

As global leaders prepare to assess the impact of climate change at the coming UN’s Cop29 summit, more Asian companies are embarking on a sustainability path by balancing between the goals of revenue growth and environment protection.

This International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting 18 truly inspiring women who are breaking barriers, rewriting the rules, and making serious moves in their fields.

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The groundbreaking sailing league has put their money where their mouth is and set up the world’s first ever Impact League showcasing that climate action and sport can go hand in hand.

Chosen from among hundreds of organisations globally, OPP represents Singapore in delivering measurable environmental impact, demonstrating how trusted social enterprises can translate sustainability commitments in sport into real-world action.

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Since their adoption, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have provided a global framework for tackling poverty, inequality and environmental degradation. 

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James Cook University (JCU) in Singapore signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 11 June 2022 with Ocean Purpose Project (OPP)

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These sustainable companies and startups in Singapore are our eco-idols. If you haven’t already guessed, we’re big on sustainability. We’re always on the lookout for eco-conscious ways to live our lives. 

Ocean Purpose Project (OPP) was selected as one of the finalists in the UNDP’s Ending Plastic Pollution Innovation Challenge (EPPIC) for its innovative plastic-to-fuel solution that helps turn hard-to-recycle ocean plastics into valuable products, demonstrating strong potential to reduce plastic pollution and contribute to a circular economy.