Clean Oceans International

What Clean Oceans International does

Clean Oceans International (COI) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008 and headquartered at 345 Lake Avenue, Suite G, Santa Cruz, California, that works to reduce oceanic plastic pollution through a tripartite model of Research, Innovation, and Direct Action. Its core operational asset is the Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP), a simple, scalable shoreline-based citizen science protocol requiring only 1-2 people and basic hand tools, which generates standardized macroplastic and microplastic survey data stored in a publicly accessible EPAP Database (epap.cleanoceansinternational.org). The organization supplements EPAP with a global Beach Adoption Program, an unpaid student Internship Program, and an Innovation track developing Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) systems in partnership with PDO Technologies, using pyrolysis to convert plastic waste into usable fuel.

COI funds operations primarily through individual donations collected via PayPal, Square QR code, and mailed checks, supplemented by merchandise "thank-you gift" tiers in its online shop and modest corporate and institutional grants (e.g., a $2,550 grant from the Soquel Home Depot in 2025). Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: it mobilizes 3,000+ volunteers through coastal cleanups, the annual Earth Day Santa Cruz event, YEA Summits, Blue Innovation Day, and presentations at schools and community centers, while building institutional partnerships with Cabrillo College, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, Peralta Community College District, Oregon State University, Surfrider Foundation, One People One Reef, and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust. Since 2008, COI reports removing 60,441+ pounds of debris across 26+ coastal cleanups, conducting 8+ semesters of EPAP surveys, and reaching 2.3 million people through a YouTube feature by Any_Austin. The organization has no venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment ownership; it is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and operated by a small paid staff of roughly 3-4 people plus rotating interns.

Name

Clean Oceans International

Legal name

Clean Oceans International

Website

https://cleanoceansinternational.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clean Oceans International is a Santa Cruz, California-based 501c3 nonprofit that reduces oceanic plastic pollution through citizen science shoreline surveys (EPAP), a global Beach Adoption Program, student internships, and Portable Plastic Waste Conversion technology developed with PDO Technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pollution Prevention, Chemicals & Waste (incl. Plastics) (BPADALAJ), Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

Keywords

• Marine plastic pollution
• Citizen science programs
• Beach cleanup services
• Environmental research programs
• Plastic waste conversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: Primary revenue stream through direct donations via PayPal, Square QR code, and check by mail. Donors receive merchandise items as thank-you gifts.
2. Merchandise Sales: Shop sells merchandise items as thank-you gifts for donations at suggested contribution levels to sustain programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Clean Oceans International operates volunteer-driven shoreline plastic pollution surveys through its Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP) and an associated online database, complemented by a Beach Adoption Program for ongoing community monitoring. The organization also develops Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) technology in partnership with PDO Technologies to convert plastic waste into fuel, and runs an internship program providing students with hands-on environmental science field experience.

Product overview

Clean Oceans International operates as a non-profit organization offering a suite of environmental programs centered around reducing oceanic plastic pollution. The core offering is the Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP), which combines volunteer-driven shoreline surveys with a comprehensive EPAP Database for tracking plastic debris trends over time. The organization also runs a Beach Adoption Program enabling global volunteer participation in data collection, offers an Internship Program for students in environmental science fields, and is developing Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) technology in partnership with PDO Technologies to convert plastic into usable fuel. These offerings work together under the organization's Research, Innovation, and Direct Action framework to address plastic pollution through science, community engagement, and innovative waste management solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Environmental Plastic Assessment Program (EPAP) A community science initiative that engages volunteers in shoreline-based data collection during cleanups and independent surveys, generating standardized macroplastic and microplastic data with minimal financial input. Designed to be simple, scalable, and accessible, requiring only 1-2 people and basic hand tools to conduct meaningful surveys.
• EPAP Database An online database that combines years of plastic pollution data with real-time EPAP survey results, revealing key trends and insights to drive meaningful change in ocean conservation efforts.
• Beach Adoption Program A volunteer program that allows individuals and groups worldwide to adopt beaches for regular debris tracking and data collection using standardized EPAP methods, enabling sustained local monitoring of plastic pollution.
• Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) Systems Portable systems designed to convert plastic waste into usable fuel, developed in partnership with PDO Technologies. The technology enables community-based solutions for plastic recycling at local levels on a global scale.
• Internship Program Unpaid, part-time positions providing university and college students hands-on experience in plastic pollution research, shoreline monitoring via EPAP, and community outreach. Interns support EPAP and related field and data projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Removed over 60,441 pounds of debris from shorelines since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• One People One ReefcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Partnership to train Ulithi Youth Leaders from the Federated States of Micronesia in EPAP protocols. Initiative seeks to collaborate with the Ulithi community to monitor and document plastic debris patterns in the Micronesian environment over time.
• PDO TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership established in 2021 to create a Portable Plastic Waste Conversion (PPWC) research and demonstration facility accessible to public evaluation. PDO Technologies provides pyrolysis technology for converting plastic waste into usable fuel. COI visited their Oregon facility to learn about agricultural plastics recycling operations.
• Oregon State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with the School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering. Multiple board members (Skip Rochefort, Dr. Lucas Ellis) are faculty members. OSU students have participated in Kodiak, Alaska cleanup expeditions.
• Cabrillo CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing educational partnership where Cabrillo College Oceanography and Environmental Science students participate in EPAP surveys and beach cleanups as part of semester-long community research projects. COI's Education Director previously taught at Cabrillo College.
• Surfrider FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlliance partner for ocean conservation efforts. COI tables with Santa Cruz Surfrider at community events like the Big Stick LOGJAM Surf Contest.
• Santa Cruz Volunteer CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal nonprofit partner for volunteer coordination and community engagement activities.
• Pitch In Santa CruzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for annual community-wide cleanup events in Santa Cruz County, combining efforts for larger impact.
• Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOI hosted members of AMLT for a coastal cleanup and EPAP training on the Santa Cruz coast, demonstrating commitment to indigenous community engagement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: Large ocean-policy nonprofit that runs the International Coastal Cleanup and produces annual trash-trash data reports. Operates at a national/international scale with substantial institutional funding where COI is grassroots/Santa Cruz-rooted.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Technology-driven nonprofit deploying large-scale systems to remove ocean plastic. Comparable mission (reducing oceanic plastic pollution) but operates at a much larger scale with engineering-led approach versus COI's community-science angle.

Direct peers

• Heal the Bay: California-based nonprofit doing beach cleanups, marine education, and policy advocacy for coastal water quality. Strongly overlapping programmatic mix and California base with COI.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global advocacy coalition working to end plastic pollution through education, policy, and direct action — overlaps with COI on plastic-pollution framing and complements EPAP's research mission.
• Algalita Marine Research Institute: Long-running nonprofit research organization studying plastic pollution in marine environments. Closely comparable on the research/citizen-science axis where COI's EPAP data contribution sits.
• 5 Gyres: Nonprofit that researches plastic pollution in oceans and partners with citizen scientists on data collection — directly comparable to COI's EPAP shoreline survey model and shared mission around plastic-pollution science.
• Surfrider Foundation: National nonprofit focused on ocean conservation, beach cleanups, and plastic-pollution advocacy. COI already names Surfrider as an alliance partner in Santa Cruz, and they overlap directly on coastal cleanup programming and donor audiences.

Others

• Amah Mutsun Land Trust: Indigenous-led conservation organization in Santa Cruz County. Documented COI cleanup/EPAP training partner, so it is a comparable regional nonprofit with adjacent mission rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that collects ocean-bound plastic and exchanges it for income in coastal communities. Comparable on plastic-pollution-removal and community-engagement theory of change, though commercial rather than purely nonprofit.

Regional players

• Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History: Local Santa Cruz environmental education institution that runs citizen-science programming and shares COI's regional volunteer base. Comparable as a regional conservation-education peer in the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@any_austin
• Xx.com/cleanoceansintl
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheCleanOceansInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clean-oceans-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Clean Oceans International