Seven Clean Seas: Advancing Ocean Conservation Through Strategic Partnerships and Impactful Initiatives

Source : Seven Clean Seas

Plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Each year, millions of tonnes of plastic enter our oceans, endangering marine life, damaging ecosystems, and threatening the livelihoods of coastal communities. Seven Clean Seas (SCS) was founded in response to this crisis with a clear mission: to eliminate 100 million kilograms of plastic from the oceans by 2030. This ambitious goal reflects the scale and urgency of the global plastic pollution problem. By focusing on both removal and prevention, SCS contributes meaningfully to the protection of marine biodiversity and the health of our planet.

Seven Clean Seas was established in 2018 by Tom Peacock-Nazil and Pamela Correia after they witnessed alarming levels of plastic pollution on a beach in Koh Lipe, Thailand. Deeply affected by the sight, they organized a beach cleanup in Singapore upon returning home, removing over 3,500 kilograms of waste. What began as a single event evolved into a movement, culminating in the creation of Seven Clean Seas. Later, Benjamin Moody joined as a co-founder, reinforcing the organization’s capacity with additional expertise and drive. Together, the founders built an organization grounded in community action, innovation, and environmental stewardship.

Operating primarily in Southeast Asia, Seven Clean Seas engages in a range of impactful activities. These include ocean and coastal plastic removal projects in regions such as Bintan and Batam (Indonesia) and Bangkok (Thailand). The organization also builds and manages Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), which sort and process collected plastic into reusable materials. Community outreach and educational programs play a critical role in their strategy, aiming to shift local behaviors around waste disposal. Furthermore, SCS pioneers innovative solutions like manufacturing eco-friendly roof tiles from recycled plastic, providing safer alternatives to materials such as asbestos. Through their certified Plastic Credit Program, they enable companies to offset their plastic usage in a transparent, verifiable manner—contributing to a circular and accountable plastics economy. Another important aspect of their work is that they aim to provide fair employment opportunities to local populations in the regions they work in, adding a meaningful social aspect to their initiatives.

To date, the organization has reached impressive milestones having removed over 4 million kilograms of plastic waste from the ocean. It has also created 91 formal, fair-wage jobs, empowering local communities and promoting inclusive development. Their efforts have been recognized with awards, including the Impact Enterprise Excellence Award at the SI Awards (2024), and they were named the Innovating for Sustainability (Singapore) winner in the Xero Business Fund.

Collaboration has been key to SCS's growth. As its work is strongly aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 14 (Life Below Water) SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by creating ethical employment, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through its recycling and circular economy initiatives, it has attracted several impressive corporate partners looking to increase their environmental impact. For instance, SCS has partnered with The Organic Skin Co., Lo Bros, and Prime Time, aligning product sales with ocean cleanups. Partnerships with major players like Berge Bulk and Thai Union Group have enabled large-scale cleanup operations and river waste interventions while tech giant Microsoft provided a major grant to support operations and offset internal plastic footprints. Indosuez Wealth Management and IHG Hotels & Resorts have funded infrastructure and community projects. Other collaborations include Las Vegas Sands and The WASH Foundation through “The Drop by Drop Project,” supporting local water sustainability champions. SCS also offers consulting services to corporates who are looking at ways to reduce their plastic waste footprint in their day-to-day operations, a service that has also been popular as research has shown that 68% consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable brands.

One innovative aspect of partnering with SCS is its Periscope platform that is made available to partners. This online portal allows partners to see at a granular level the impact they are having in terms of quantity of plastic removed from the oceans, breakdowns by types of plastics, as well as insights into the teams that are removing them. This layer of transparency provides clarity to companies, their boards and shareholders on the ultimate impact of their involvement with SCS.

Investor support has also played a vital role. The ECCA Family Foundation has been a partner since 2020, offering grants and advisory support. In 2022, founder Christian Algot Enevoldsen made a significant impact-based investment in SCS, helping the organization scale operations, recruit top talent, and launch new projects with measurable environmental benefits.

In a world increasingly aware of the environmental cost of plastic, Seven Clean Seas provides a practical, hopeful, and impactful blueprint for change. To learn more or get involved, visit www.sevencleanseas.com.

References

Seven Clean Seas. (2024a). Our impact. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/our-impact

Seven Clean Seas. (2024b). About us. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/about-us

Seven Clean Seas. (2024c). Philanthropy projects. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/philanthropy

Seven Clean Seas. (2024d). Achievements. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/news

Seven Clean Seas. (2024e). Partnerships. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/partners

Seven Clean Seas. (2024f). Investors & supporters. Retrieved May 26, 2025, from https://www.sevencleanseas.com/post/the-ecca-family-foundation-invests