CONTEXT

Every day, millions of kilograms of plastic end up in nature. Plastics do not decompose and stay around forever, causing harm to people, animals and the environment. Our vision is to create a world in which rivers are free of plastics.

OUR STORY

River Cleanup started in 2017 with a 10-minute cleanup and was founded in Antwerp in 2019 as a nonprofit organization. To date, we have activated +370.000 volunteers via +7.600 events in 102 countries, removed 3,9 million kilograms of river waste from nature and developed the Clean River Model as an open-source theory of change for plastic-free rivers. 

Through strategic and early interventions in the plastic lifecycle, we turn off the tap on new plastic pollution and permanently remove legacy waste on land and in rivers. The Clean River Model consists of 3 pillars (Empower people, Prevent pollution and Accelerate change) and 3 enablers (Assessment, Planning, Monitoring & E...