Sustainable Seas Trust

What Sustainable Seas Trust does

Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) is a South Africa-registered international charitable trust founded in 2006 and headquartered in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). The organization was originally incubated out of the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme and operates as a non-profit science-based entity focused on protecting Africa's seas through sustainable waste management, marine pollution mitigation, and coastal-community economic development. Its programs span research and monitoring, education and capacity building, community upliftment, and strategic stakeholder engagement, with operational reach across 32 African countries.

SST's core technology consists of an interconnected portfolio of digital platforms and educational resources. The African Marine Network Map is an interactive mapping platform connecting waste research and management stakeholders across the packaging value chain in Africa, while the African Waste Academy is positioned as the first e-learning platform of its kind on the continent, serving educators, learners, researchers, businesspeople, and government. Operation Clean Spot is a community-led clean-up campaign with a mapping platform that tracks adopted spots and waste collected; a complementary litter monitoring mobile application is under development alongside the African Marine Litter Monitoring Manual. Supporting assets include the Plastic-Free Seas Guidebook and the African Resource Book Series, both available in English, French, and Portuguese. SST also deploys a remote sensing protocol using UAVs and airplanes to identify plastic-waste accumulation sites near river systems.

The business model is non-commercial. SST is funded primarily by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as core funder, supplemented by government and multilateral grants, corporate sponsorships (including Petco, Extrupet-affiliated operators, VLG, and others), and public donations processed via its website. The organization does not charge for its programs; its chief customer-facing segments are African coastal communities, schools and educators, SMMEs and informal waste collectors, local and national governments, and African youth. Strategic stakeholder channels include partnerships with the Abidjan and Nairobi Conventions (UNEP-administered regional treaties), WIOMSA, NTNU, and Nelson Mandela University, with SST co-drafting national action plans on plastic pollution for governments including Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, and the DRC.

Name

Sustainable Seas Trust

Legal name

Sustainable Seas Trust

Website

https://sst.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sustainable Seas Trust is a South African non-profit charitable trust that operates science-based research, education, and community programs across 32 African countries to mitigate marine pollution and enable sustainable waste management. Its core platforms include the African Marine Network Map, the African Waste Academy e-learning platform, and Operation Clean Spot.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Conservation and Environmental Non-profit Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pollution Control & Environmental Remediation (Booming, Skimming, Shoreline Cleanup) (TLAHAIAH)

Keywords

• Marine conservation services
• Waste management education
• Coastal community development
• Ocean pollution research
• Blue economy initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government and Multi-lateral Funding: Primary funding comes from governments, multi-lateral donors including the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Funding supports research, community programs, and operational activities.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support specific projects and programs. Corporate sponsors include companies in recycling, waste management, and environmental sectors.
3. Public Donations: Individual donations accepted through website platform, with options for one-off and monthly giving at various amounts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) is a non-profit charitable trust that conducts marine pollution research, delivers education and capacity-building programs, and runs community-based waste management initiatives across Africa. It operates interactive mapping platforms, an e-learning academy, and school-based recycling programmes to enable sustainable waste management and protect Africa's seas.

Product overview

Sustainable Seas Trust operates a portfolio of interconnected programmes and platforms focused on protecting Africa's seas through sustainable waste management. The core offerings include the African Marine Network Map (interactive mapping platform connecting waste management stakeholders), Operation Clean Spot (community clean-up campaign with mapping tools), African Waste Academy (e-learning platform), and African Youth Network (youth engagement platform). Supporting these are educational publications including the Plastic-Free Seas Guidebook and African Resource Book Series, alongside monitoring tools such as the African Marine Litter Monitoring Manual and a litter monitoring mobile application under development. The Munch-on-the-Move school programme extends reach into educational institutions. Together, these products form an integrated ecosystem addressing research, education, community engagement, and enterprise development in support of Africa's blue economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• African Waste Academy: The first e-learning platform of its kind on the continent, serving as an active hub for collaboration, resource and knowledge sharing, capacity building and support for mitigating marine pollution challenges across Africa.
• Operation Clean Spot
• African Marine Network Map
• African Youth Network
• Munch-on-the-Move

Products and services

• African Marine Network Map An interactive mapping platform that spatially connects waste research and management stakeholders across various sectors of the packaging and waste management value chains in Africa, helping users find recycling businesses, research centres, education sites, and other waste management organizations.
• Operation Clean Spot An innovative community clean-up campaign and mapping platform that allows individuals, businesses, schools, and organizations to adopt spots, clean them up, and share data on waste collected. Includes design principles for sustainable waste management across the packaging value chain.
• African Waste Academy A unique e-learning platform described as the first of its kind in Africa, serving as an active hub for collaboration, resource and knowledge sharing, capacity building, and support for mitigating marine pollution challenges. Offers online training courses and supplementary resources for educators, learners, researchers, businesspeople, and government.
• African Youth Network A dynamic platform that facilitates collaboration, resource development, and knowledge sharing among youth within and across African countries, with a mission to achieve 'Zero Waste to the Seas of Africa' through empowering younger generations to address marine pollution.
• Munch-on-the-Move A grassroots school-based recycling programme featuring wire mesh fish sculptures ('Munch') that encourage learners to separate recyclable waste at source. Currently being rolled out in schools across Cape Town, Durban, and Gqeberha, with curriculum-aligned educational resources and recycling infrastructure support.
• Plastic-Free Seas Guidebook An action-focused practical guide supporting African nations and cities in developing sustainable waste management plans with a focus on plastic, providing a framework outlining key actions along the value chain at regional, national, and local levels. Available in English, French, and Portuguese.
• African Resource Book Series: A Guide to Plastics A comprehensive nine-chapter technical guide serving as the ultimate 'A to Z' of plastics within the African context, covering properties and applications, sources and pathways of plastic pollution, environmental and health impacts, policies and legislation, and circular economy introduction. Available in English, French, and Portuguese.
• African Marine Litter Monitoring Manual The first African Marine Litter Monitoring Manual outlining techniques and adjustments to methods used in the regional litter monitoring programme. Includes beach macrolitter surveys converted into a freely available online course for citizen scientists and researchers.
• Sample Preparation Manual The first Sample Preparation Manual for the analysis of plastic-related pollutants, designed to build capacity within Africa for developing datasets related to macro- and microplastic pollutants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50-80% litter reduction achieved in Operation Clean Spot pilot sites
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIOMSA focuses on educational, scientific, and technological development of marine science throughout the Western Indian Ocean region. SST collaborates with WIOMSA on the regional litter monitoring programme that started in 2019.
• PetcocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPetco plays a leading role in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for valuable recyclables like PET plastic in South Africa. Has provided both financial and knowledge-based support to SST regarding the packaging value chain and recycling industry.
• The Abidjan ConventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental treaty under UNEP focusing on protection and sustainable development of marine and coastal environment in West Africa. SST has co-drafted national action plans for Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, and DRC, and developed regional action plan on marine pollution.
• The Nairobi ConventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional treaty under UNEP addressing protection, management, and development of marine and coastal environment in the Western Indian Ocean region. SST works with the Nairobi Convention for East African coastal countries.
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultidisciplinary university with strong science and technology profile. NTNU is intimately involved in SST's microplastic-related pollutants project and is a partner on the SANO (South African-Norwegian) Interns for Sustainability programme.
• Nelson Mandela UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in SST's home city of Gqeberha. SST draws on expertise from the university for research and education programs. NMU is the only higher education institution in the world bearing Nelson Mandela's name.
• Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovative platform hosting the first permanent Ocean Observatory focused on multi-ecosystem time series research in Africa. BCSS aims to support environmental management at local level and facilitate regional collaboration.
• Corporate SponsorsminorOthersVarious corporate sponsors support SST through sponsoring specific projects. Includes VLG, Kelway, Coe, Faithfull, Vivo, PNP, Isango Gate, British HC, Straws for a Cause, Plastics SA, Extrawdinary, and Clip.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• The Ocean Cleanup: Netherlands-based non-profit deploying technology and large-scale campaigns to remove plastic from rivers and oceans. Directly comparable to SST as a marine-pollution-focused organisation with strong technical/digital capabilities (river/plastic monitoring), but with a technology-driven rather than community-led approach.
• Surfrider Foundation: International coastal-cleanup and marine-debris advocacy NGO with national chapters running beach cleanup mapping programmes analogous to Operation Clean Spot. Closely comparable to SST in mission (beach/shoreline litter reduction) and community-led volunteer mobilisation model, though serving predominantly US/Europe geographies.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global alliance of organisations and individuals working to stop plastic pollution through education, policy advocacy, and stakeholder coordination. Functionally similar to SST's Network Map and stakeholder-mapping approach, but coalition-based and policy-focused rather than programme-delivering.
• Save Our Seas Foundation: Swiss-based foundation funding marine research, education, and conservation projects globally with strong Shark/Skate and ocean literacy focus. Comparable as a marine grant-maker and educator with international footprint; SST operates programmes while Save Our Seas more often funds external projects.
• Plastic Soup Foundation: Dutch non-profit raising awareness about plastic pollution in oceans and supporting behavioural and policy solutions. Comparable to SST in combining public awareness campaigns, education (Beat the Microbead etc.), and stakeholder engagement, though at smaller geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Conservancy: Largest US-based marine conservation NGO, operator of the International Coastal Cleanup and a leading voice on ocean plastic policy. Comparable to SST as a marine-pollution-focused NGO that combines citizen-science cleanups, policy advocacy, and stakeholder network-building, though at significantly larger scale and primarily North American focus.
• WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature): Global conservation organisation with major marine plastics, oceans, and coastal-community programmes, including a South Africa office. Comparable to SST as a multi-thematic environmental NGO with ocean plastics initiatives; SST's previous CEO Janine Osborne came from WWF-SASSI, evidencing direct programmatic overlap.

Regional players

• Sea Change Project: South African non-profit using storytelling, films, and education to drive ocean conservation awareness along the African coast. Closely comparable to SST in geography (South Africa base), marine education focus, and storytelling-driven outreach approach, though focused on Great White Shark / predator narratives.
• Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation: South Africa-based aquarium and education foundation running marine conservation, school education, and citizen-science programmes similar to SST's. Comparable as an Africa-anchored marine-education and community-engagement non-profit, though operating primarily through the aquarium facility model.

Emerging players

• Lonely Whale Foundation: US-based non-profit focused on ocean health, plastic pollution, and youth/brand engagement around plastic-free solutions. Comparable to SST in youth-engagement and stakeholder-network approach (e.g., Brand Challenge), but US-focused and brand-partnership driven rather than Africa programme-delivering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/seapledge
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_oAUMxOkh3EqTjs0uhqu2w
• Facebookfacebook.com/SSTAfrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainableseastrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainableseastrust-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Seas Trust