What Environmental Justice Foundation does

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a UK-registered charitable trust and not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, founded in 1999 and headquartered in London, with a secondary operations office in Bonthe, Sierra Leone. EJF uses investigations and documentary film to expose environmental and human rights abuses, with active campaigns on oceans (IUU fishing), climate, forests and wetlands, sustainable fashion, environmental defenders, and plastic pollution. Its core products are investigative reports (e.g., White Gold, Pirate Fishing Exposed, Out of Sight Out of Control), documentary films, and policy advocacy outputs (notably the 2026 'Right to Reduce' concept), supported by a community surveillance methodology in which coastal fishers generate IUU alerts that feed into government enforcement actions.

EJF's underlying operational technology combines investigative journalism, satellite-based vessel tracking (S-AIS), community-based reporting systems, and secure information-sharing channels (Signal, WhatsApp, ProtonMail) for source protection. It operates an organic T-shirt merchandise line (Just-For) through designer collaborations with Vivienne Westwood, Katharine Hamnett, and Lily Cole, sold via selfridges, dedicated retail, and a Tesco exclusive, with profits directed back to campaigns. The organization generates impact through coalition-driven legal action (MPA Legal Coalition, 11 NGOs) and bilateral agreements with governments (Republic of Korea MOU, Spanish Government cooperation on the Global Record), and has influenced EU-level outcomes including the blacklisting of Belize, Cambodia, and Guinea for IUU fishing failures.

EJF's revenue model is primarily donations, supplemented by merchandise sales, restricted grants (e.g., Oceans 5, Spanish Government €250,000), and celebrity-amplified fundraising. Its customer base is unusually broad for a non-profit: government partners (Sierra Leone, Ghana, Korea, Spain), corporate signatories (331 brands on the Uzbek Cotton Pledge), celebrity collaborators, and a long tail of individual donors. The organization reports no disclosed revenue figures and operates with 11-50 employees based in the UK and Sierra Leone.

Name

Environmental Justice Foundation

Legal name

Environmental Justice Foundation Charitable Trust

Website

https://ejfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a UK-registered environmental NGO that uses investigations and documentary film to expose illegal fishing, forced labor, and other environmental and human rights abuses, working with coastal communities, governments, and global coalitions to drive policy change.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental Justice & Community Environmental Health (BPAGAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK), Safeguarding, Accountability & Compliance (ESG, Gender/GBV, Do No Harm) (BPADAEAM)

Keywords

• Environmental advocacy
• Marine conservation
• Anti-pirate fishing
• Human rights campaigns
• Climate justice

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Support: EJF relies on support from donors and supporters who share the vision of environmental justice. Donations are vital to funding investigations, campaigns, and advocacy work.
2. Organic Cotton T-shirt Sales (Just-For): EJF operates its own organic, fairly-traded and climate neutral t-shirt line through the Just-For fashion brand. Profits from sales go directly back into EJF projects and campaigns. T-shirts are sold at £20 for designer collaborations and £10 for mass-market items like Climate Week shirts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is an environmental NGO that uses investigations and documentary film to expose environmental and human rights abuses. The organization runs advocacy campaigns on oceans, climate, forests and wetlands, sustainable fashion, environmental defenders, and plastics, partnering with coastal communities, journalists, and governments to trigger policy changes and enforcement actions. EJF operates grassroots community surveillance projects (notably in Sierra Leone) and is funded through individual donations and Just-For organic T-shirt merchandise sales.

Product overview

Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a non-profit environmental organization that does not operate a traditional technology product. Instead, EJF offers a portfolio of advocacy campaigns, investigative reports, documentary films, and merchandise. Their core campaigns cover Ocean protection, Climate action, Forests and Wetlands preservation, Sustainable Fashion, Environmental Defenders support, and Plastics reduction. The organization also produces investigative reports and documentary films documenting environmental and human rights abuses. Through their Just-For initiative, they sell designer organic cotton merchandise. Additionally, EJF operates community-based surveillance projects to combat illegal fishing and has introduced the 'Right to Reduce' policy concept for plastic reduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Net Free Seas: Programme tackling plastic waste entering the ocean directly.
• Bottle Free Seas
• Right to Reduce
• No Place Like Home

Products and services

• Just-For Organic T-Shirts
• Environmental Advocacy Campaigns

Quantifiable outcome

• Over US $500,000 in fines levied against illegal fishing vessels
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MPA Legal CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2026EJF is part of an 11-NGO coalition (including Blue Marine Foundation, BUND, ClientEarth, Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, Défense des Milieux Aquatiques, Doggerland, DUH, Manche Nature, Oceana, and Seas At Risk) launched to use coordinated litigation and legal advocacy to compel European governments to better protect marine protected areas from destructive fishing activities, particularly bottom trawling.
• Republic of KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2014EJF and Republic of Korea signed a ground-breaking MOU formalising a joint initiative to combat IUU fishing. This partnership has led to significant Korean government action against illegal fishing operators.
• Spanish GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpain provided €250,000 in funding towards the creation of a Global Record of fishing vessels and joined the Global Record's Advisory Committee. EJF works with Spanish government on EU IUU Regulation implementation.
• Vivienne WestwoodcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBritish fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has created multiple exclusive T-shirt collections for EJF's climate refugee and environmental campaigns, including Red Label catwalk shows at London Fashion Week, raising over £10,000 for EJF.
• Lily ColeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBritish model and actress Lily Cole has fronted EJF climate and fashion campaigns, including the Just-For organic T-shirt line, and visited factories in India.
• Katharine HamnettminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFashion designer created Save the Future T-shirt for H&M in collaboration with EJF, promoting sustainable fashion messaging.
• Bee CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEJF is part of the Bee Coalition, a core group of eight UK environmental organizations (Buglife, ClientEarth, Friends of the Earth, Natural Beekeeping Trust, Pesticide Action Network, RSPB, Soil Association) working to protect bees and pollinators from neonicotinoid pesticides.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ClientEarth: Environmental law organization using strategic litigation to enforce climate and nature laws in Europe; co-member of the MPA Legal Coalition and a direct peer on EU environmental legal advocacy.
• Oceana: International ocean conservation NGO focused on IUU fishing, marine protected areas, and seafood supply-chain reform; directly comparable to EJF's oceans campaign and co-member of the MPA Legal Coalition.
• Blue Marine Foundation: UK-based marine protection NGO focused on marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries; co-founding member of the MPA Legal Coalition with EJF and a direct operational peer on European ocean litigation.
• Survival International: Global NGO advocating for Indigenous peoples' rights and connecting them to environmental protection; shares EJF's environmental-justice framing and human-rights-plus-environment intersection.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Direct-action marine conservation organization combatting illegal fishing and protecting marine wildlife; comparable to EJF in mission focus on IUU fishing and ocean protection, though with a different tactical approach.
• Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA): UK-based investigative NGO using undercover research and film to expose environmental crime (wildlife trade, forestry, climate); the closest methodological twin to EJF's investigation-and-film model.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace: Global environmental advocacy organization with broad campaign portfolio including oceans, forests, and climate; a much larger incumbent that overlaps with multiple EJF campaigns and shares the investigation-and-media methodology.
• Friends of the Earth: UK-based environmental advocacy network with broad portfolio including pesticide and bees campaigns; co-member of the Bee Coalition with EJF and a comparable advocacy-driven UK NGO.
• WWF: One of the world's largest environmental NGOs, operating across oceans, forests, wildlife, and climate; a broad incumbent that competes for the same donor dollars and government partnerships as EJF, particularly on IUU fishing.

Emerging players

• Earth Island Journal / Earth Island Institute: US-based environmental NGO network running project-specific campaigns on oceans, forests, and human rights; comparable grassroots-to-policy advocacy model to EJF's campaign structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ejfoundation
• Xx.com/ejfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/ejfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/environmental-justice-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Environmental Justice Foundation