Basel Action Network

What Basel Action Network does

Basel Action Network (BAN) is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 by Jim Puckett to combat the export of hazardous waste from industrialized countries to developing nations. The organization pursues this mission across three waste streams — electronic waste, end-of-life ships, and plastic waste — through a portfolio of advocacy, certification, and investigative programs. Its core products include the e-Stewards Certification Program (an electronics-recycler standard prohibiting exports to developing countries, with 100+ certified facilities), the EarthEye™ commercial GPS tracking service, the e-Trash and Plastic Waste Transparency Projects, Operation Can Opener (a container-level enforcement-intelligence program with BFFP partners in Asia), the Green Ship Recycling campaign, and direct policy advocacy at UN Basel Convention meetings. Notable technical components include proprietary GPS-based tracking devices, custom in-house hardware and software for visualizing toxic waste flows, and the MIT-collaborated Monitour App.

BAN is funded primarily by individual and organizational donations through a tiered giving program (Aluminum $1-499 to Platinum $50,000+) and generates ancillary revenue from e-Stewards certification fees and suggested-donation documentary sales. The organization serves four primary constituencies: governments and policymakers (Basel Convention delegates, especially from developing countries), businesses and enterprises seeking ESG-compliant e-waste disposal, individual consumers using the Find a Recycler tool, and industry whistleblowers reporting illegal practices via a secure portal. Under Executive Director Hayley Palmer, BAN is governed by a small leadership team of approximately 10 staff and a Board of Directors including Roberto Ferrigno and Yuyun Ismawati, with operational presence spanning at least 16 countries through direct campaigns and a network of NGO coalition partners.

Name

Basel Action Network

Legal name

Basel Action Network

Website

https://ban.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Basel Action Network is a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1997 that combats global toxic waste exports to developing countries through e-Stewards certification, GPS-based e-waste tracking, and policy advocacy at the UN Basel Convention, serving governments, enterprises, and consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Advocacy and E-Waste Certification

NAICS

Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112)

SIC

Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Certified Compliance & Reporting Services (R2/e-Stewards, Audit, ESG) (BPALAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), Hazardous Waste Compliance, Profiling & Brokerage (Waste Characterization, Vendor Management) (BPALAFAN)

Keywords

• Toxic waste advocacy
• Electronics recycling certification
• Environmental justice policy
• E-waste tracking investigations
• Global waste trade regulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: BAN is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization that relies on individual and organizational donations. They offer a 'BAN Together' giving program with various giving levels from Aluminum ($1-499) to Platinum ($50,000+). The organization also accepts matching gifts and AmazonSmile donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Basel Action Network is a nonprofit environmental organization that combats the export of toxic waste, including e-waste, plastic waste, and end-of-life ships, from industrialized societies to developing countries. It delivers its mission through the e-Stewards Certification Program for responsible electronics recyclers, investigative GPS-based tracking (EarthEye™), policy advocacy at the UN Basel Convention, and targeted programs on ship recycling, plastic waste, and whistleblower reporting.

Product overview

Basel Action Network (BAN) operates as a nonprofit environmental organization offering a portfolio of advocacy programs, certification standards, investigative tools, and educational resources. The core offerings include the e-Stewards Certification Program for electronics recyclers, the e-Stewards Marketplace for finding certified recyclers, the e-Trash Transparency Project with GPS tracking capabilities, the Plastic Waste Transparency Project as an information hub, Operation Can Opener for container inspection alerts, the Green Ship Recycling Program, and Basel Advocacy at the UN. Additional products include investigative reports like the Brokers of Shame, a Whistleblower Portal for secure reporting, documentary films, and the Responsible e-Waste Guideline. BAN also offers EarthEye™ as a commercial GPS tracking service. Together, these products form an integrated approach to ending toxic waste trade through policy advocacy, market-based solutions, and public engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• e-Stewards Certification Program An industry certification standard that distinguishes truly responsible electronics recyclers from those who merely claim to be green, ensuring high-quality occupational health and safety and environmental protection while prohibiting coerced or prison labor and export of toxic materials. Customers are electronics recyclers, IT asset disposition vendors, and downstream processors seeking third-party-audited certification to win enterprise and municipal procurement contracts.
• e-Stewards Marketplace An online portal allowing businesses and consumers to easily find certified e-Stewards recyclers for responsible electronics disposal.
• EarthEye™ GPS Tracking Service A commercial GPS tracking service that places small GPS-based tracking devices into electronics to monitor where they end up when delivered to recyclers or charity drop-off locations; used by investigative clients, recyclers, governments, and watchdogs to verify downstream handling.
• e-Trash Transparency Project An investigative project that places GPS-based tracking devices into old electronics to monitor where e-waste actually goes and expose illegal exports, producing evidence that has supported criminal prosecutions.
• Plastic Waste Transparency Project An information clearinghouse and ongoing program providing activists, policymakers, academics, and industry stakeholders with up-to-date information on global plastic-waste trade, countries and actors engaged in it, and campaign resources.
• Operation Can Opener A program that identifies intermodal shipping containers at high risk of containing illegal waste and alerts destination-country governments to 'open the cans' and inspect shipments, delivered in partnership with Break Free From Plastic member organizations in Asia.
• Green Ship Recycling Program An advocacy program promoting safe, clean, and just recycling of end-of-life ships instead of beach shipbreaking or ocean sinking, working with shipping companies and the US Navy to redirect vessels to responsible recycling facilities.
• Basel Advocacy Policy advocacy at the United Nations Basel Convention to restrict hazardous-waste trade, promote national self-sufficiency in waste management, and empower developing countries to prevent toxic dumping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Criminal conviction of Executive Recycling executives for illegal e-waste exports following BAN investigation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NGO Shipbreaking PlatformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN is a member of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a global coalition of environmental, human rights, and labor rights organizations working together to prevent ships from being beached in developing countries. This partnership enables coordinated advocacy against shipbreaking practices and shared intelligence on vessel tracking.
• Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) MovementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN collaborates with BFFP member organizations in Asia for Operation Can Opener, providing enforcement intelligence about incoming waste containers to governments. BFFP is a global movement working to stop plastic pollution.
• Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN co-hosts webinars with SERI on Basel Convention amendments and their implications for e-Stewards and R2 certified processors. SERI is the organization that manages the R2 standard.
• IPEN (International POPs Elimination Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN and IPEN co-produced the Basel Ban Amendment Guide covering implications and next steps for countries and stakeholders. Ongoing collaboration on policy advocacy at international environmental forums.
• Nexus3 FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN partners with Nexus3 Foundation (formerly BaliFokus Foundation), co-founded by Board Member Yuyun Ismawati. Joint efforts include urging Indonesian President to return illegal e-waste containers.
• ECOTON (Environmental Defense Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN collaborated with ECOTON on the open letter to Indonesian President regarding 914 containers of suspected illegal e-waste in Batam.
• EARTH ThailandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN works with EARTH Thailand on hazardous waste dumping investigations, including the Albania prosecution case involving shipments to Thailand.
• Milieukontakt AlbaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN collaborated with Milieukontakt Albania on the global hazardous waste dumping scandal, welcoming decisive action by Albanian prosecutors.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN is recognized by UNEP as an NGO expert and stakeholder, regularly invited to participate in internal meetings and policy deliberations. UNEP considers BAN's advocacy 'a beacon for global environmental justice.'
• Advanced Technology Recycling (ATR)minorOthersATR, a responsible recycler, is offering support to organizations potentially impacted by BAN's 'Brokers of Shame' findings, positioning itself as an alternative for those seeking US-based compliant recycling.
• e-Stewards Certified Recyclers NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOver 100 certified facilities in the e-Stewards network, including major recyclers like Total Reclaim (prior to revocation). Certified by third-party audits to the e-Stewards Standard.
• The Last Beach CleanupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN partnered with The Last Beach Cleanup on fact briefings about California's illegal carton recycling exports and mixed paper/plastic waste imports to Asian countries.
• National Association for Information Destruction (NAID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBAN entered MOU requiring all e-Stewards Certified Recyclers to also become NAID AAA Certified for Electronic Media, adding data security certification to the e-Stewards standard.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Direct peers

• Earthworks: Earthworks is an environmental NGO focused on mining and toxic pollution impacts, overlapping with BAN's work on hazardous waste and the toxics-supply chain in developing countries.
• Green America: Green America operates the Electronics TakeBack Coalition and a responsible-recycling recognition program, overlapping directly with BAN's e-Stewards initiative on enterprise electronics stewardship advocacy.
• IPEN (International POPs Elimination Network): IPEN is a network of NGOs working on toxic chemicals and waste, including POPs and hazardous waste trade under the Basel Convention. It is a documented BAN partner, co-producing the Basel Ban Amendment Guide.
• Sustainable Electronics Recycling International (SERI): SERI manages the R2v3 standard, the leading competitor to BAN's e-Stewards certification for responsible electronics recyclers. Both organizations run third-party-audited certification programs targeting overlapping enterprise and recycler customers.
• As You Sow: As You Sow is a nonprofit that promotes corporate environmental and social accountability through shareholder engagement and reporting, sharing BAN's enterprise-facing accountability and recycling/electronics stewardship orientation.
• GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives): GAIA is a global waste-justice coalition opposing polluting disposal practices including incineration and landfill dumping. It overlaps with BAN on plastic-waste trade advocacy and collaborates via Break Free From Plastic.
• Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA): EIA is an environmental watchdog that uses investigative methodologies and supply-chain exposé campaigns similar to BAN's EarthEye™ tracking work, often on shared issues like illegal waste trade and wildlife/environmental crime.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace International: Greenpeace is a much larger global environmental advocacy organization where BAN founder Jim Puckett previously served as Toxics Director. It operates broadly on toxics issues but lacks BAN's specialized e-waste certification niche.
• Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI): ISRI is the broad US trade association for the scrap recycling industry, including electronics recyclers. It administers the RIOS™ certification program, a parallel industry-standard option competing with e-Stewards.

Regional players

• Zero Waste Europe: Zero Waste Europe is a regional network advancing waste-prevention and circular-economy policy across Europe, with overlapping advocacy on plastic waste trade and Basel Convention enforcement in EU jurisdictions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BaselActionNetwork
• Xx.com/baselaction
• Facebookfacebook.com/baselactionnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/basel-action-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Basel Action Network