Surfers Against Sewage

What Surfers Against Sewage does

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) is a UK-registered environmental charity (Charity No. 1145877), founded in 1990 in St Agnes, Cornwall, where it remains headquartered at Wheal Kitty Workshops with approximately 40 staff. The organisation campaigns against two defined environmental problems — sewage discharges and plastic pollution in UK coastal and inland waters — serving individual water users, schools, local communities and businesses. Its core service offering is built around the Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS), a free mobile application that delivers real-time sewage pollution alerts to over 387,000 users and integrates user-submitted sickness reports; this sits alongside the Data HQ platform launched in 2025, which publicly maps the operational status of sewage overflow pipes at more than 17,900 UK sites.

Supporting programmes include the Million Mile Clean (a nationwide clean-up and citizen-science initiative that has removed over 1 million kg of plastic), Plastic Free Communities (640+ towns/villages, 6,000+ businesses) and Plastic Free Schools (3,600–4,000+ enrolments), plus research publications such as the annual Water Quality Report and Brand Audit. Grassroots mobilisation is delivered through 14+ Regional Rep chapters and events such as the 2026 Paddle-Out Protests across 56 UK locations.

SAS is funded through a diversified mix of recurring individual memberships and donations, legacy gifts (Sentinels of the Sea), corporate partnerships (Ocean Network, 1% For the Planet, Work for Good), individual fundraising via JustGiving, and grants from major UK charitable foundations including Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, Postcode Lottery, The Flotilla Foundation and The Moondance Foundation. Distribution is digital-first (free app, online donation storefront, newsletters) supplemented by community-led outreach through accredited local leaders, schools and Regional Reps. Financial figures (revenue, costs) are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Surfers Against Sewage

Legal name

Surfers Against Sewage

Website

https://sas.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Surfers Against Sewage is a UK-registered environmental charity, founded in 1990 and based in St Agnes, Cornwall, that campaigns against sewage and plastic pollution in UK waters through the free SSRS real-time alert app, the Data HQ water-quality platform, and grassroots programmes including Million Mile Clean, Plastic Free Communities and Plastic Free Schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation and Environmental Advocacy

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Marine Conservation & Citizen-Science Experiences (reef monitoring, turtle walks) (THAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine conservation
• Ocean activism
• Plastic pollution
• Water quality monitoring
• Environmental campaigning

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Agnes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership and Donations: Monthly recurring donations from members and one-time donations from supporters. The organization relies heavily on individual supporters who fund campaigns and activism work.
2. Fundraising: Individual and team fundraising activities including sponsored swims, marathons, and community events. supporters create fundraising pages through JustGiving platform.
3. Trusts and Foundations Grants: Funding from charitable foundations including Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation, Postcode Lottery, The Flotilla Foundation, and The Moondance Foundation.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships through Ocean Network membership, sponsorships, percentage of sales donations via Work for Good, and 1% For the Planet pledges.
5. Legacy Gifts: Bequests and legacy gifts left in supporters' wills, managed through the Sentinel of the Sea program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Surfers Against Sewage is a UK marine conservation charity that campaigns against sewage and plastic pollution, while delivering civic-engagement programs and digital tools to ocean users. Its core offerings include the Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS) real-time water-quality app, the Data HQ data platform, the Million Mile Clean volunteer clean-up network, and the Plastic Free Communities and Plastic Free Schools accreditation schemes. The organization mobilizes individual supporters, schools, and local communities to take action and uses citizen-science data to drive national policy campaigns.

Product overview

Surfers Against Sewage is an environmental charity that offers a portfolio of campaigns, apps, and community programmes focused on ending sewage and plastic pollution in UK waters. The core product is the Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS) app, which provides real-time sewage alerts and integrates with the Data HQ platform displaying water quality data from over 17,900 sewage overflow sites. Supporting programmes include the Million Mile Clean, Plastic Free Communities (700+ communities), and Plastic Free Schools (4,000+ schools) for plastic pollution reduction, while the #EndSewagePollution and People Vs Plastic campaigns drive policy change. Educational initiatives include Ocean School, and the organisation publishes annual Water Quality Reports and Brand Audits as research tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS): Free app providing real-time sewage pollution alerts for UK beaches, rivers and lakes to help water users stay safe.
• Million Mile Clean
• Plastic Free Communities
• Plastic Free Schools
• Ocean School
• Data HQ
• Ocean Activists
• Sentinels of the Sea
• Ocean Network

Products and services

• Safer Seas & Rivers Service (SSRS) App Free mobile app that provides real-time and predictive water-quality alerts for UK beaches, rivers, and coastal areas, enabling users to check pollution risk before entering the water.
• Data HQ Online data platform that aggregates citizen-science water-quality reports and external datasets to provide an open view of UK water pollution, supporting advocacy and research.
• Million Mile Clean National community clean-up program that mobilizes volunteers across the UK to remove plastic and waste from beaches, rivers, and streets.
• Plastic Free Communities Accreditation framework and support program for local councils, community groups, and businesses to take action on single-use plastic and achieve Plastic Free status.
• Plastic Free Schools Accreditation program for UK schools that provides curriculum-linked resources, action plans, and a Plastic Free Schools award to reduce single-use plastic on campus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million kg of plastic removed from UK environment through Million Mile Clean
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Work for GoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatform partner enabling businesses to donate a percentage of profits from products or collections to SAS in a quick and simple way.
• 1% For the PlanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal network where businesses commit to donating 1% of gross sales to Surfers Against Sewage through monetary and in-kind donations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: International NGO focused on water and sanitation access; comparable in water-quality advocacy and campaigning on behalf of public health, though primarily focused on developing-country water access.
• The Wildlife Trusts: UK-wide federation of 46 wildlife trusts with marine and coastal programmes; broader biodiversity focus but directly comparable in citizen science, community engagement and conservation advocacy.
• Water UK: Industry body representing UK water companies; comparable in subject matter (UK water quality) but operates as the industry counterpart SAS campaigns against, making it a useful adjacent reference.

Regional players

• Earthwatch Europe: Environmental charity focused on citizen science and freshwater health (e.g., FreshWater Watch) — comparable in citizen-science methodology and water-quality data collection, though global scope.

Direct peers

• Sea Shepherd UK: UK branch of marine conservation NGO focused on ocean protection; comparable in marine advocacy, grassroots mobilisation and direct-action campaigns against ocean polluters.
• Keep Britain Tidy: National UK environmental charity tackling litter and plastic pollution via community clean-ups, accreditation programmes and campaigns; overlaps with SAS's Million Mile Clean and Plastic Free Communities activities.
• City to Sea: UK charity focused on plastic pollution and the Refill campaign reducing single-use plastic; comparable in water-and-plastic advocacy, corporate partnerships and policy campaigning.
• Plastic Free Foundation: International organisation behind the Plastic Free July movement; comparable in plastic-pollution community mobilisation and global Plastic Free Communities model that SAS has adapted for the UK.
• Marine Conservation Society: UK marine conservation charity running beach cleans, the Good Beach Guide, and citizen science surveys; highly comparable to SAS in mission, UK focus, volunteer mobilisation model and water-quality advocacy.

Emerging players

• Ocean Conservancy: US-based ocean conservation NGO running the International Coastal Cleanup with branded-trash data collection; comparable in marine litter citizen science and the brand-audit methodology SAS has adopted.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sascampaigns
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SurfersAgainstSewage
• Facebookfacebook.com/SurfersAgainstSewage
• Instagraminstagram.com/surfersagainstsewage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/surfers-against-sewage-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Surfers Against Sewage