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Why Pollution Must Be Turned Into Solutions, Not Just Cool Content
- Mathilda D'Silva
- 11 hours ago
- 9 min read
Pollution is everywhere.
It’s in the air we breathe. It’s in the seawater we swim and surf in. It’s in the soil that grows our food. It’s in our bloodstreams — in the form of microplastics.
We see it in viral videos, eye-catching drone footage of plastic islands, and trending hashtags about climate collapse.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Pollution Porn is real - it is a constant content news cycle about "what a bad state our oceans are in" with a focus on likes, shares and views instead of galvanising collective action with practical implementations and collaboration on the boring aspect of solution engineering.
Timelapse cleanups have become an aesthetic. When multiple oil spills hit Singapore last year, a lot of eco influencers reached out within minutes to ask if they could share our videos for cinematic activism but didn't respond to our calls to join daily beach surveys and walk the entire Northeastern Seaboard of Singapore. A shout out to the few volunteers from Acres, grassroots and the dragon boat community who did show up and help out to help us document and coordinate clean-up efforts with the maritime authorities with sincerity.
There is a bizarre fixation on equating social media content creation about sustainability with environmental advocacy not just restricted to Singapore but points to a global pandemic of performative box ticking, a systems failure that demands innovation, policy reform, and structural change.
We live in an era of unprecedented environmental awareness, science communication and eco influencer advocacy armed with rate cards aimed at unseating PR and Advertising agencies from holding government and major corporate contracts. TikTok followers equate "awareness generation", a much-coveted ticket to a place at the policy table — yet awareness without action risks becoming little more than noise.
From social media posts to eco events, corporate sustainability pages, pollution and climate change are frequent topics. But what does all that talk actually translate into? And why do so many individuals and organisations talk louder than they act?
Many times, I question my own posts on ocean conservation and wonder if I am part of the circus. I repeat to the content team ad nauseum at Ocean Purpose Project (OPP), that I don't want another viral dancing clean up video, but something that entices the audience to yearn in a Wuthering Heights manner for real solutions — not just feel-good content but something that can transform pollution from a crisis into a catalyst for innovation, policy change, and scalable systems that protect our blue planet.
The Global Awareness - Action Gap: More Than Just an Infographic
Take Singapore as a case study. A recent article by Eco Business shared a study from the SingLife–SGFIN Sustainable Future Index which found that Gen Z Singaporeans express high levels of sustainability awareness, yet they lag significantly behind older generations in everyday green behaviours. While about 9 in 10 Baby Boomers and Gen X respondents use reusable bags and recycle regularly, only around half of Gen Z report doing the same, despite their strong exposure to climate discourse.
This gap between talking and acting reflects a global trend: people may care about sustainability in theory, but this concern doesn’t consistently shape their decisions in daily life. Research from Imperial College Business School shows that consumers often say they care about sustainability, yet environmental considerations rarely dominate purchasing decisions except when the product clearly signals its eco-credentials (like bamboo cups or paper bags).
Research published in 2025 revealed psychological and social studies also reveal that people prefer discussing systemic change — e.g., changes in corporate practices or regulatory frameworks — over talking about individual actions like reducing plastic use. In part, this is because individual-level discussions can feel like moral judgement.
The key is to move beyond just showing the problem. We need to spotlight solutions that restore balance and protect our planet’s future.
Cool Carbon Content vs. Real-World Impact
In my recent conversations with multiple sustainability professionals, they have spoken about the "black hole" of ocean sustainability project funding evident from the impact of US Aid and NOAA closures. However, there is another trend of pivoting away even from greenwashing content creation, a belief that for the next 3 years or until a certain presidency is over, sustainability will have to take a back seat.
The social media era fuels a proliferation of “green” content — from viral videos to influencer posts — yet many creators hesitate to dive deep into sustainability when it doesn’t fit their brand or might risk backlash. A 2023 study by Unilever found that 84% of content creators avoid mentioning sustainability in their content, even though 60% want to have a positive environmental impact and three-quarters want to create more sustainability content in the future.
This self-censorship around sustainability content matters because how issues are communicated influences public understanding and engagement. Without informative, action based, science-aligned storytelling, the narratives stay superficial — focused on aesthetics rather than the systemic causes and solutions for environmental breakdown.
Pollution is Real — The Data Doesn’t Lie
Buzzwords and memes aside, the scale of pollution — especially plastics — is staggering.
In Singapore’s waterways and shorelines, plastics make up around 80% of marine litter — a legacy of persistent material use and inadequate waste systems.
And plastics aren’t just floating trash; they fragment into microplastics, spreading through food webs and penetrating environments previously thought untouched.
At the recent The Ocean Clean Up events in Singapore, data revealed that globally, approximately 80% of riverborne plastic pollution originates from just ~1,000 rivers — a reminder that land-based systems shape ocean health.
The environmental toll isn’t just aesthetic. Marine litter damages habitats, injures wildlife, and carries economic costs — from cleanup to lost tourism revenue. And while some regulatory frameworks exist, scientific research shows that global governance of marine plastic pollution remains fragmented, with critical gaps in enforcement and international coordination.
Pollution Without Solutions Risks Apathy
There’s a real risk that constant exposure to environmental problems without visible, actionable solutions breeds apathy — especially among younger generations. If sustainability discourse remains abstract, or is couched only in likes and shares, people begin to feel overwhelmed rather than empowered.
True impact comes when individuals, governments, and corporations move beyond statements to systems thinking and pilot testing.
This means:
Policy action that funds solution engineers and innovations through grants and prototyping sandboxes
Corporate innovation that redesigns supply chains with circular principles
Community-driven projects that pilot scalable solutions with commitment — from waste-to-resource circularity to regenerative aquaculture and carbon sequestration, not just box ticking of " Dear NGO, I did beach clean up for 20 mins, please take photos of me and write me a 3 page testimonial of my 2026 sustainability volunteering"
Investment into science and governance that turns environmental insights into eco products and services that are owned by multiple players in Singapore, not just large entities thereby encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation.
Such action not only addresses pollution — it shifts mindsets from passive spectatorship to purposeful participation.
From Storytelling to Systemic Change
We don’t need more recycled posts — we need recalibrated narratives that connect cause to solution:
Content that explains what's been learnt during joint prototyping of solutions.
Policies that align economic incentives with environmental outcomes.
Companies that integrate climate and pollution impact into their decision-making processes, rather than focusing solely on superficial reporting.
Scientists, activists, and communicators collaborating to build trust and educate audiences rather than simply entertain them.
Awareness is not the problem.
Awareness without actionable pathways is.
By moving the conversation from performative green content to practical solution ecosystems, we can unlock human agency, corporate accountability, and policy momentum to deliver real environmental outcomes.
How Ocean Purpose Project Is Leading the Way
Pollution — from plastics to sewage to chemicals to oil spills to Harmful Algae Blooms — clearly persists at global and local scales. Yet our collective response show a disconnect: we talk about sustainability more than we act on it; creators want to engage on environmental issues but virtually; policies exist in pieces rather than as coordinated frameworks.
At OPP, we champion turning pollution into solutions and then creating content from what we have learnt from our own projects, not just asking AI bots to create marketing campaigns for us by copying others.
Practical Steps for Corporations, Schools, and Volunteers
If I had a $10,000 for every inquisitive uncle, aunty, former model turned overzealous "impact investor" who asks me, "how are you funded?" I would have enough to launch our OPP Plastic to Hydrogen unit by now.
Here's the answer- Each event we do funds us.
Each event is grounded by integrating science, policy, community action, and innovation to reshape not just narratives but the very systems that produce pollution in the first place. Now is not the time for "let's wait and see" 10–20-year post doc research when we are in an era of unprecedented change.
We cannot afford another year of good intentions without real solutions. Our events are not for the lazy who are looking for a quick, easy and cheap way to look sustainable and trendy and have fun. It's for the corporates, schools and communities who feel that something is missing in the current status quo and want to turn awareness into action, and content into impact.
Whether you’re part of a corporation, a school, or a volunteer community, you have a role to play. But don’t stop at intention. Step into implementation.
Here’s how you can move from awareness to measurable impact — together with Ocean Purpose Project:
🌊 Corporations: Move Beyond ESG Slides — Activate Real Impact
Sustainability should not live in annual reports. It should live in operations, supply chains, and employee culture.
Implement sustainable procurement and reduce packaging waste.
Purchase local startup green technologies and circular innovation services
Fund OPP's blue economy pilots that generate real environmental data.
Embed environmental clauses into contracts and partnerships.
Better yet — bring your teams on the ground with our suite of services at Ocean Purpose Project's offices in Pasir Ris.
📚 Schools & Universities: Turn Education into Experimentation
Environmental education cannot remain confined to textbooks.
Discourage performative volunteering
Integrate marine science, circular economy, and systems thinking into your curriculum.
Encourage student-led innovation challenges around waste reduction with experiential learning journeys.
Join Ocean Purpose Project’s:
Student Beach Clean-Ups with scientific data collection
Structured VIA/CAS/Service-Learning programmes
Sustainability workshops that connect ocean health to soil and human health
Students who touch the shoreline, test water quality, and see pollution data in real time develop something far more powerful than awareness — they develop ownership.
🙌 Volunteers & Community Groups: Become Active Stewards
You do not need to be a policymaker to shift the system. You do need to be committed and consistent.
Support existing structured community clean-ups and events sincerely
Advocate for smarter local waste systems.
Share not just problems — but solutions.
Reach out to the community without having to publicise your volunteering on social media or for credit at work or school and volunteer, once you put down your smartphone and tablet, a whole new world embraces you
Ocean Purpose Project runs:
Monthly Beach Clean-Up & Reflection Sessions
Eco-Gardening at OPP’s Herb Garden
Paddle for a Purpose activations
Blue economy awareness events
Each session is designed not just to remove waste — but to connect participants to the science, economics, and policy behind marine pollution. Because once people understand systems, they start changing them.
Email partnerships@oceanpurposeproject.com if this interests you.
The Future Is Blue: Embracing a Global Blue Economy
The ocean is more than just a vast body of water—it’s a vital resource that supports millions of livelihoods and regulates our climate. Protecting it means investing in a global blue economy that balances economic growth with environmental sustainability.
Turning pollution into solutions is central to this vision. It means creating jobs in clean technology, sustainable fisheries, and marine conservation. It means restoring ecosystems that provide food, tourism, and cultural value.
The Ocean Purpose Project’s work is a shining example of how science and innovation can drive this transformation. By supporting such initiatives, we help build a future where the ocean thrives and communities prosper.
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