Name

PlasticWhale

Legal name

Plastic Whale B.V.

Website

https://plasticwhale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Cleanup Services

NAICS

Other Marine Fishing (114119), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Ship and Boat Building (3366)

SIC

Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080), Plastics Foam Products (3086), Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whale Watching & Marine Mammal Tours (THAAAIAC), Mechanical Recycling (Wash, Grind, Pelletize) (EUAIAKAB)

Keywords

• Plastic fishing services
• Circular office furniture
• Corporate environmental events
• Waterway cleanup services
• Recycled PET products

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Plastic Fishing & Cleanup Events: Plastic Whale BV charges fees for corporate plastic fishing events (€54 per person + VAT + entertainment tax) and Company Cleanup On The Spot (€49 per person + VAT). School programs are free for grades 7-8 (subsidized by Foundation grants) and €30 per student for secondary/university. Approximately 500 events are organized per year.
2. Circular Furniture Sales (Plastic Whale by Vepa): High-quality office furniture (tables, chairs, lamps, acoustic panels) made from Amsterdam canal plastic is sold through Vepa's B2B sales channel. Revenue flows to Vepa, with Plastic Whale receiving raw material supply income and brand partnership value. Products include the Whale Boardroom Table (1,004 bottles), Whale Tail Chair (67 bottles), and various lamps and panels.
3. Public & Private Event Booking Fees: Direct booking fees for public plastic fishing events (e.g., Pride Fishing, King's Day events) and corporate team outings. Full payment required prior to activity, with cancellation credits available 7-14 days in advance depending on group size.
4. Speaking & Workshop Engagements: Plastic Whale's founder Marius Smit is a booked speaker. Lectures are charged at 21% VAT, with travel expenses at €0.25/km. Cancellation within 7 days incurs 50% of the quote price.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Plastic Whale operates plastic fishing experiences from a fleet of 15 electric boats built from recycled PET bottles, fishing plastic waste from Amsterdam and Rotterdam canals and Dutch beaches. The collected plastic is processed into PET foam boards and PET felt which are used to manufacture circular office furniture (Plastic Whale by Vepa collection) and additional boats. The company also delivers corporate team-building events, public cleanup events, school education programs via the Plastic Whale Foundation, and speaking engagements.

Product overview

Plastic Whale is a social enterprise offering three integrated pillars of activity: We Collect (plastic fishing and cleanup events), We Create (circular products), and We Educate (school programs). The core consumer-facing product is Plastic Fishing — a guided group activity aboard the company's own electric sloops (13 in Amsterdam, 2 in Rotterdam), made from canal plastic. Cleanup events extend the collection mission to land and beach environments through three formats: Beach Cleanup, Company Cleanup On The Spot (onsite at client-chosen locations), and Company Cleanup Online (remote with mailed kits). The We Create pillar produces the Plastic Whale by Vepa circular furniture collection (sub-brand), which includes the Whale Boardroom Table, Whale Tail Chair, Barnacle Lamp, Whale Panel, Barnacle Side Table, and multiple Felt chair variants — all manufactured by Vepa using PET bottles fished from Amsterdam's canals. The We Educate pillar is delivered through the Plastic Whale Foundation (ANBI-approved non-profit), offering free and discounted plastic fishing and School Cleanup programs for Dutch school groups. Public-facing events (Pride Fishing, King's Fishing) round out the offering. The company operates through legal entities Plastic Whale B.V., Plastic Whale Circular Furniture B.V., and Stichting Plastic Whale.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Plastic Whale by Vepa: A circular furniture collection made from PET bottles fished from Amsterdam's canals, including the Whale Boardroom Table, Whale Tail Chair, Barnacle Lamp, and Whale Panel. Created in partnership with Dutch furniture manufacturer Vepa.

Products and services

• Plastic Fishing Guided group plastic fishing activity aboard electric sloops built from canal plastic, where participants fish plastic and waste from Amsterdam and Rotterdam waterways. Offered as a corporate team outing (8-250 persons) and as a school program (primary and secondary/higher education).
• Company Cleanup Events Land and beach cleanup events for corporate groups, including Beach Cleanup (at Dutch coastal locations), Company Cleanup On The Spot (at client-chosen locations, minimum 30 persons), and Company Cleanup Online (remote format with mailed cleanup kits for distributed teams).
• Plastic Whale Foundation School Programs ANBI-approved non-profit educational programs for primary and secondary schools, including free plastic fishing and School Cleanup activities for grades 7 & 8, and discounted programs (€30 per student) for secondary and university students. Reaches approximately 3,000 school children per year.
• Plastic Whale by Vepa Circular Furniture Collection Designer office furniture line made from PET bottles fished from Amsterdam's canals, manufactured in the Netherlands by Vepa and designed by LAMA Concept. Components designed for disassembly and reuse. Includes the Whale Boardroom Table, Whale Tail Chair, Barnacle Lamp, Whale Panel, Barnacle Side Table, and multiple Felt chair variants (Regular, Fine, High, Relax, Tub). Sold exclusively through Vepa's B2B sales channel.
• Whale Boardroom Table Designer boardroom table from the Plastic Whale by Vepa collection, made from approximately 1,004 recycled 0.5L PET bottles. Features European PEFC oak legs and PET felt accents inspired by whale anatomy. Sold via Vepa B2B channel.
• Whale Tail Chair Ergonomic office chair from the Plastic Whale by Vepa collection, made from approximately 67 recycled 0.5L PET bottles. The pressed PET back seat is inspired by the whale's tail; base made from steel waste from Vepa's factory. Sold via Vepa B2B channel.
• Barnacle Lamp Designer lamp from the Plastic Whale by Vepa collection, made primarily from recycled PET felt. Small version uses approximately 8.3 recycled 0.5L bottles; tall version uses approximately 16.6 bottles. Sold via Vepa B2B channel.
• Whale Panel Acoustic Wall Panel Acoustic wall panel from the Plastic Whale by Vepa collection, made from approximately 196.8 recycled 0.5L PET bottles. Constructed from PET felt for sound absorption. Sold via Vepa B2B channel.
• Speaking Engagements and Lectures Quote-based speaking engagements delivered by founder Marius Smit covering Plastic Whale's story, plastic pollution, and circular enterprise. Charged at 21% VAT with travel expenses at €0.25/km.

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2022: 25,834 PET bottles and 6,530 bags of trash removed from nature; 14,417 people on board for plastic fishing; 4,287 schoolchildren participated in programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VepacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVepa is the manufacturing partner for Plastic Whale by Vepa, the circular furniture collection. Plastic Whale supplies the raw material (PET bottles fished from Amsterdam's canals, processed into flakes and fibers), while Vepa handles technical development, production, and B2B sales. Vepa is described as the Netherlands' most sustainable office furniture manufacturer, having achieved waste-free production since 2018.
• LAMA ConceptcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAMA Concept designed the Plastic Whale by Vepa furniture collection. They specialize in sustainable materials and deliver industrial design with a handcrafted finish. Their design draws inspiration from the whale's anatomy — bone structure in table legs, blowhole in tabletops, whale tail in chairs.
• VerpactminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website. Verpact is a Dutch producer responsibility organization for packaging.
• Gemeente Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website. The municipality of Amsterdam supports Plastic Whale's mission and activities in the city.
• Vattenfall FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website. Vattenfall Foundation supports environmental initiatives.
• BookingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website. Booking.com supports Plastic Whale's environmental mission.
• AdvariominorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website.
• Euro BottleminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website. Euro Bottle is a partner supporting the plastic collection and recycling ecosystem.
• TUCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website.
• HeinzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a partner on the Plastic Whale website.
• Het Scheepvaartmuseum (National Maritime Museum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlastic Whale partners with the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam for school programs and educational activities, raising awareness about the plastic problem among students.
• Pulitzer AmsterdamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPulitzer Amsterdam hotel is listed as a partner offering inspirational conference locations and workshop spaces for Plastic Whale corporate events.
• Speakers AcademyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpeakers Academy is the booking platform through which Marius Smit's speaking engagements are facilitated, extending Plastic Whale's reach to corporate audiences.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 4ocean: 4ocean runs commercial ocean plastic cleanup operations and sells branded products (bracelets, apparel) made from recovered plastic — the closest analog to Plastic Whale's collect-and-create circular model, but at global scale.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Non-profit deploying large-scale technology to remove ocean plastic, with a strong media and donor brand. Comparable to Plastic Whale in mission and storytelling, though operating at much larger scale with a technology-led approach.
• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that collects ocean-bound plastic in developing countries and exchanges it for income, then sells recovered plastic as Social Plastic to brands. Closely comparable collect-and-create mission and B2B sales motion.
• Bureo: Collects discarded fishing nets and recycles them into consumer products (skateboards, sunglasses). Highly comparable circular-economy model that turns marine waste into branded goods, with strong design and B2B partnerships.
• Ecoalf: Spanish sustainable fashion brand producing apparel and accessories from recycled materials including ocean plastic. Comparable in transforming collected marine plastic into premium branded products for B2B/B2C distribution.
• Waste Free Oceans: International foundation coordinating river and ocean cleanups across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, with a circular-economy output stream into products. Directly comparable to Plastic Whale's cleanup-and-create mission at a multi-region scope.
• Litterati: Data-driven litter cleanup platform that engages communities and brands in mapped waste collection events. Overlaps with Plastic Whale's corporate event-driven cleanup model and impact-measurement positioning.
• Healthy Seas: Initiative that retrieves ghost fishing nets from the sea and partners with brands (including Aquafil/Econyl) to turn them into regenerated nylon products. Comparable marine-cleanup-to-product circular flow.

Regional players

• Surfrider Foundation: Major ocean conservation NGO running beach cleanups and advocacy globally. Comparable mission and volunteer-driven cleanup events, but operates as a non-profit advocacy body rather than a circular product business.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Large-scale sustainable apparel and outdoor brand built around environmental mission and durable products from recycled materials. Provides a benchmark for how a circular-mission brand can scale into a global consumer business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theplasticwhale
• Facebookfacebook.com/PlasticWhale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plastic-whale
• Instagraminstagram.com/plasticwhale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

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 PlasticWhale