CleanHub
CleanHub is a Berlin-based plastic credit platform founded in 2020 that sells TÜV SÜD-verified plastic recovery credits to consumer brands and individual subscribers, funding waste collection by local partners across six countries in Asia, Africa, and Central America.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What CleanHub does
CleanHub GmbH is a Berlin-based private company founded in 2020 that sells verified plastic recovery credits to consumer brands and individual subscribers. Its core offering connects funding from these customers to physical plastic waste collection operations run by local waste management partners in coastal and river communities across India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Tanzania, Guatemala, and Egypt. Brands purchase credits as offsets for their plastic footprint, with pricing quote-based and tied to volume; individuals subscribe monthly or annually to fund collection and receive impact tracking. The company has reported collecting 72 million+ pounds of plastic cumulatively through 500+ brand partnerships.
The product platform is built around a mobile application used by waste collectors to register each collection via QR-code scanning and photo capture, the Eddy track-and-trace platform for supply-chain monitoring, and a public live dashboard showing real-time collection events. Computer vision models process collector photos to predict bag composition, volume, and density, and to flag safety compliance violations and potential fraud through image deduplication. The plastic credit system was independently verified by TÜV SÜD under ISO 14064-3:2020 in 2024 — the first such certification in the category — and CleanHub also holds B Corp certification.
Revenue is generated through two streams: transaction-based sales of plastic credits to enterprise and mid-market consumer brands (with customized packages and per-product-sold membership tiers), and recurring monthly or annual subscriptions from individual supporters. Distribution combines a direct enterprise sales motion targeting consumer goods, apparel, and beverage brands, a self-serve digital onboarding flow for smaller brands and individuals, and a channel of marketing co-partnerships with sustainability-aligned consumer brands. The company has raised approximately $11.9 million in disclosed funding across a 2021 round and a 2023 round led by Lakestar and Integra Partners, and is led by co-founders Joel Tasche and Florin Dinga alongside Co-CEO Louis Pfitzner.
CleanHub firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CleanHub
- Legal name
- CleanHub GmbH
- Website
- https://cleanhub.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CleanHub is a Berlin-based plastic credit platform founded in 2020 that sells TÜV SÜD-verified plastic recovery credits to consumer brands and individual subscribers, funding waste collection by local partners across six countries in Asia, Africa, and Central America.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CleanHub industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plastic Recovery and Sustainability Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)
Keywords
Where CleanHub is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CleanHub business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Plastic Credit Sales to Brands: CleanHub generates primary revenue by selling verified plastic credits to consumer brands seeking to offset their plastic footprint. Brands purchase credits representing physical plastic recovery, with pricing based on volume and partnership level. This is a recurring transaction model where brands maintain ongoing partnerships.
- Individual Supporter Subscriptions: Direct-to-consumer subscription revenue from individual supporters who pay monthly contributions to fund plastic recovery operations. Supporters receive impact updates and tracking through the Eddy app.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual supporter monthly subscription for plastic recovery contributions |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise brand partnership with verified plastic credits |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CleanHub product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CleanHub sells verified plastic recovery credits to consumer brands through transaction-based brand partnerships and to individuals through recurring subscriptions. The service funds plastic collection from coastal and river communities via a partner waste management network, with each credit tied to physical recovery that is audited under ISO 14064-3 by TÜV SÜD and tracked through the Eddy platform, QR codes, mobile-app photo capture, and AI-based fraud detection.
Product overview
CleanHub operates a single integrated platform for plastic credit and recovery services, comprising a core plastic credit system that connects brands and individuals with verified waste collection partners. The platform includes a mobile app for collectors, the Eddy track-and-trace platform, and a live dashboard for real-time monitoring. Brand partners access membership tiers (per product sold, fixed amount, EmpCo certification), an anti-greenwashing tracking dashboard, and marketing toolkits. Individual consumers can subscribe monthly or annually to fund coastal collection programs. The company also publishes research reports (Plastic Perspectives, Clean Beauty Survey) and educational guides (Anti-Greenwashing Guide, Sustainable Toolkit) as supporting resources. All operations are verified by TÜV SÜD under ISO 14064-3, and the company holds B Corp certification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Eddy: CleanHub's track-and-trace platform built for the world's messiest supply chains, used to register, track, and verify plastic waste collection from collection to responsible disposal.
- Wildshores
Products and services
- CleanHub Plastic Credit System Core offering that enables brands and individuals to fund verified plastic recovery from coastal and river communities. The system tracks collection via QR codes and provides TÜV SÜD-verified audit trails, functioning as a plastic offset/credit mechanism for enterprise and consumer buyers.
- Brand Partnership Platform Platform for brands to fund verified plastic collection with measurable ROI. Includes membership options (per product sold, fixed amount, EmpCo compliant certification), an anti-greenwashing tracking dashboard, and a marketing toolkit with customizable templates and impact storytelling for sustainability messaging.
- Individual Subscription Service Monthly or annual subscription plans enabling individuals to fund plastic waste collection in polluted coastal regions. Includes real-time tracking of collected plastic, an anti-greenwashing guarantee, and weekly impact updates from supported projects.
- CleanHub App (mobile) Mobile application used by waste collectors to register plastic collection via QR code scanning and photo capture. Enables an audit trail from first collection using computer vision for fraud detection and safety compliance monitoring.
- Live Dashboard Real-time data visualization tool showing plastic recovery operations across India, Indonesia, Tanzania, and Guatemala. Displays total waste collected, collection per year breakdown, and a live feed of collection events.
Quantifiable outcome
- 72M+ lbs of plastic collected through partner network
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CleanHub
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CleanHub technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability7 records
Feature4 records
CleanHub partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VRecyclecoreWaste management partner operating in Goa, India, responsible for collecting and processing plastic waste as part of CleanHub's recovery network in the region.
- Green WormscoreWaste management partner handling plastic collection operations in Andaman and Kerala regions of India, supporting CleanHub's recovery infrastructure in coastal areas.
- No Trash TrianglecorePartner organization in Indonesia operating in the 'Trash Triangle' region, contributing to CleanHub's plastic recovery operations in Southeast Asia.
- RecityminorWaste management partner operating in Mathura, India, supporting localized plastic collection and recovery operations for CleanHub's credit verification system.
- GeocyclecorePartner for co-processing of plastic waste, providing end-of-life solutions for materials that cannot be recycled, integrated into CleanHub's verified recovery chain.
- TÜV SÜDcoreInternational third-party audit and verification partner that independently verifies CleanHub's plastic credit system, providing anti-greenwashing credibility and regulatory-grade assurance.
- VallonminorEyewear brand partnership for co-marketing sustainability initiatives, combining product offerings with environmental impact messaging.
- Orso ActivewearminorActivewear brand collaborating on sustainability marketing, integrating plastic offset messaging with product campaigns.
- Gebrüder WeissminorLogistics partner supporting CleanHub's supply chain and operational logistics for plastic recovery network in European markets.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CleanHub competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plastic Bank: Plastic Bank operates a global plastic credit and collection network that partners with brands to fund coastal plastic recovery, directly competing with CleanHub in the verified plastic credit market for consumer brands.
- rePurpose Global: rePurpose Global is a plastic action platform that enables brands to measure, reduce, and offset their plastic footprint through verified credits, serving the same consumer-brand customer base with a similar credit-based business model.
- Empower Plastic (EmpCo): Empower Plastic issues EmpCo-compliant plastic credits and provides third-party compliance verification for brand environmental claims, directly comparable to CleanHub's TÜV SÜD-verified credit and trust badge offering.
Broad incumbents
- South Pole: South Pole is a large global climate solutions provider that develops and sells carbon and plastic offset credits to enterprises, offering overlapping capabilities through a much wider portfolio than CleanHub.
- Verra: Verra operates the leading carbon credit standard registry and is extending into plastic credit methodologies, representing both a potential standard-setter and competitor in the verification space CleanHub occupies.
- Waste Management Inc. Waste Management Inc. is the largest North American waste and recycling services provider with landfill gas capture and recycling credits; a broad incumbent in environmental services that could enter verified plastic credits at scale.
- Veolia: Veolia is a global environmental services leader with waste collection, recycling, and circular economy offerings across dozens of countries, providing broader but less plastic-credit-specialized services than CleanHub.
- TOMRA: TOMRA provides sensor-based sorting technology for recycling and waste collection facilities globally; comparable to CleanHub's technology-enabled verification approach but at a hardware/infrastructure layer rather than a credit-platform layer.
Others
- Circulate Capital: Circulate Capital is an investment management firm focused on preventing ocean plastic pollution in South and Southeast Asia, addressing the same problem space as CleanHub through capital deployment rather than a credit platform.
- The Plastic Pollution Coalition: The Plastic Pollution Coalition is a global advocacy alliance working to end plastic pollution, sharing CleanHub's mission and partner network but operating as a non-profit advocacy body rather than a verified credit marketplace.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CleanHub social profiles
Digital presenceCleanHub financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CleanHub leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
CleanHub funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CleanHub M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CleanHub
What does CleanHub do?
CleanHub sells verified plastic recovery credits to consumer brands through transaction-based brand partnerships and to individuals through recurring subscriptions. The service funds plastic collection from coastal and river communities via a partner waste management network, with each credit tied to physical recovery that is audited under ISO 14064-3 by TÜV SÜD and tracked through the Eddy platform, QR codes, mobile-app photo capture, and AI-based fraud detection.
Is CleanHub a public or private company?
CleanHub is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was CleanHub founded?
CleanHub was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CleanHub based?
CleanHub is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CleanHub make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Plastic Credit Sales to Brands are the primary driver. The others are individual Supporter Subscriptions.
Who are CleanHub's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plastic Bank, rePurpose Global and Empower Plastic (EmpCo). Broad incumbents are South Pole, Verra, Waste Management Inc., Veolia and TOMRA. Others are Circulate Capital and The Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Does CleanHub have an API?
No public API is recorded for CleanHub.
What industry is CleanHub in?
CleanHub's product category is Plastic Recovery and Sustainability Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIANAA, Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs, with a secondary code of EUAIAKAA, Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.