Sunce

What Sunce does

Sunce (full legal name: Udruga za prirodu, okoliš i održivi razvoj Sunce) is a Croatian civil society organization founded in 1998 and headquartered in Split. It operates as a non-profit NGO dedicated to environmental protection, marine and coastal ecosystem conservation, waste management, and environmental education in the Adriatic region. Through 2025 the organization has implemented 287 projects, resolved 4,370 citizen environmental reports, and recorded 38,410 cumulative volunteer hours.

Its service portfolio is built around four core programs: (1) Zeleni telefon (Green Phone), a nationally recognized hotline that channels citizen environmental complaints to competent institutions; (2) Zeleni izleti (Green Trips), outdoor experiential environmental education for school children; (3) Dalmatia Green, an eco-certification for tourist accommodation facilities recognized by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism; and (4) contracted Posidonia oceanica seagrass monitoring and protected-area management planning for national and nature parks (Mljet, Kornati, Telašćica, Lokrum, Pakleni otoci). Additional educational and circular-economy offerings include VolonTERRA (teacher training), Šizika (sewing and circular-economy workshops), and a portfolio of EU-funded projects.

The business model is a hybrid NGO revenue stack with no commercial software product: project-based EU funding (notably Interreg Italy-Croatia across ASPEH, BIOPRESSADRIA, AWASTER, FishNoWaste, DesirMED, ADRIWATCH, NURS-MED); institutional grants from Sigrid Rausing Trust, MAVA Foundation, DBU, and the Croatian Environmental Protection Fund; individual donations; membership fees from 445 members; and fee-for-service contracts with protected-area authorities. Customer segments span citizens (via Green Phone and education), SMB tourist operators (via Dalmatia Green), schools, and government/public institutions. No commercial technology platform, API, or proprietary AI/ML capability exists; monitoring relies on conventional scientific methods supplemented by partner-supplied satellite and AI analytics from SEACRAS.

Name

Sunce

Legal name

Udruga za prirodu, okoliš i održivi razvoj Sunce

Website

https://sunce-st.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sunce is a Split-based Croatian non-profit organization founded in 1998 that delivers environmental protection, marine conservation, citizen complaint resolution, eco-certification, and environmental education programs across the Adriatic, serving citizens, schools, SMB tourism operators, and government park authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Environmental protection NGO
• Marine conservation services
• Sustainable tourism certification
• Citizen environmental hotline
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Split

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Project-based EU funding: Sunce receives significant funding from European Union programs including Interreg Italy-Croatia for cross-border projects. The organization implements multiple EU-funded projects in marine conservation, biodiversity, circular economy, and environmental education.
2. Donations and grants: The organization accepts donations from individuals and receives grants from institutional donors including The Sigrid Rausing Trust, MAVA Foundation, DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt), and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund of Croatia.
3. Membership fees: Sunce operates a membership program with 445 members (as of 2025) that provides benefits including discounts from partner organizations.
4. Professional services (contracted monitoring and studies): Sunce provides paid environmental services including posidonia monitoring for national parks (Mljet, Kornati, Telašćica), management plan development, coastal habitat mapping, and educational programs for schools and institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sunce is a Croatian non-governmental civil society organization that runs citizen-facing environmental programs (a Green Phone complaints hotline and Green Trips nature outings), delivers marine ecosystem monitoring services (notably Posidonia seagrass assessment), and operates the Dalmatia Green eco-certification for sustainable tourism. It also runs environmental education programs (VolonTERRA, Šizika) for schools and the broader community in the Split-Dalmatia region.

Product overview

Sunce is a civil society organization (NGO) offering environmental protection services rather than a unified technology product. Its service portfolio includes environmental hotline services (Zeleni telefon), educational nature trips (Zeleni izleti), eco-certification (Dalmatia Green), seagrass monitoring, and educational programs (VolonTERRA, Šizika). These services are offered independently and address environmental education, sustainable tourism, marine protection, and community engagement rather than being modules of a unified platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zeleni telefon (Green Phone): Environmental hotline service for citizens to report environmental issues and concerns
• Zeleni izleti (Green Trips)
• Dalmatia Green

Products and services

• Zeleni telefon (Green Phone) Citizen-facing hotline/program for reporting local environmental problems and violations in the Split-Dalmatia region, available to the general public.
• Zeleni izleti (Green Trips) Organized nature outings and field experiences for the general public to engage with protected landscapes and marine ecosystems in Dalmatia.
• Dalmatia Green eco-certification Eco-certification label awarded to tourism accommodations (hotels, camps, holiday rentals) and tourism service providers in Dalmatia that meet sustainability criteria, allowing certified operators to market themselves as environmentally responsible.
• Posidonia Monitoring Services Contracted marine research service monitoring Posidonia seagrass meadows in the Adriatic for national parks and protected-area authorities, supporting habitat management and EU nature directive reporting.
• VolonTERRA educational program Environmental education and volunteering-based program designed for school-age participants to learn about nature protection and sustainability through hands-on activities in Dalmatia.
• Šizika program Educational program delivered through schools and community settings, focused on raising awareness of nature and environmental protection in the Split-Dalmatia region.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4370 citizen environmental reports resolved through Green Phone
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• IRENA (Istarska regionalna energetska agencija)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead partner in the AWASTER project; Istrian Regional Energy Agency coordinating circular economy initiatives.
• Javna ustanova More i kršcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic Institution for Managing Protected Natural Areas of Dubrovačko-neretvanske County; partner in ASPEH and BIOPRESSADRIA projects.
• LAG 5 (Lokalna akcijska grupa 5)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Action Group from Korčula; partner in AWASTER project.
• Permakultura DalmacijaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDalmatian permaculture association; provides expertise for school garden projects and VolonTERRA educational modules.
• JuventuteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in DesirMED project.
• Ministarstvo gospodarstva i održivog razvoja RHmajorOthersMinistry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Croatia; participated in BIOPRESSADRIA conference.
• Ministarstvo turizma i sportamajorOthersMinistry of Tourism and Sports of Croatia; recognizes Dalmatia Green certification.
• Green SailminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization focused on sustainable sailing; participated in BIOPRESSADRIA conference.
• Institut za oceanografiju i ribarstvominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute of Oceanography and Fisheries; participated in BIOPRESSADRIA conference.
• JU PrirodaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic institution for nature protection; participated in BIOPRESSADRIA conference.
• MPA Porto CesareocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine Protected Area Porto Cesareo (Italy); Italian partner in BIOPRESSADRIA project.
• SELC Cooperative CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian company providing monitoring services for seagrass meadows in BIOPRESSADRIA project.
• IBANAT (Institut Balear de la Natura)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBalearic Nature Institute; shares expertise on posidonia protection from Baleari Islands experience.
• EcoacsaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish company from Madrid; involved in Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project for seagrass ecosystem services.
• CORILA (Consorzio per il Coordinamento delle Ricerche sulle Integrità delle Lagune)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian consortium for lagoon research; presented bioacoustic monitoring of anchoring in BIOPRESSADRIA.
• LAG VeGALcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian Local Action Group; partner in AWASTER project promoting circular economy.
• SINLOC SPAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian consulting and investment company from Padua; partner in AWASTER project.
• Grad CasaranocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian municipality; partner in AWASTER project.
• DUNEA (Agencija za razvoj Splitsko-dalmatinske županije)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment Agency of Split-Dalmatia County; participated in AWASTER final conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Zelena akcija (Green Action Croatia / Friends of the Earth Croatia): Zagreb-based Croatian environmental NGO and the country's largest civil-society environmental group; operates citizen complaint lines, advocacy, and EU project work on overlapping themes (waste, biodiversity, public participation) in direct parallel to Sunce's Green Phone and advocacy portfolio.
• Blue World Institute: Croatian marine research and education foundation based on Lošinj; operates public aquaria, citizen-science programs, and cetacean research that closely mirror Sunce's marine education and seagrass monitoring mission.
• MareTerra Ambiente e Natura (MareTerra APS): Italian environmental NGO working on Mediterranean marine conservation, citizen-science, and EU projects; shares Sunce's seagrass and Adriatic marine focus under Interreg-style cross-border programmes.
• EuroNatur Foundation: European nature conservation foundation active in Mediterranean and Adriatic habitat protection; comparable mission, project-based grant model, and donor base (member-funded private foundation).
• BIOM (Croatian Society for the Protection of Birds and Nature): Croatian NGO focused on biodiversity research, habitat protection, and conservation policy; competes for overlapping EU/MAVA-style project funding and shares Sunce's marine and coastal habitat monitoring remit in the Adriatic.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace International: Global environmental NGO with active Mediterranean campaigns on plastic, biodiversity, and climate; operates at much larger scale with similar advocacy and high-visibility project execution profile.
• The Nature Conservancy: Largest global conservation organisation with active Mediterranean programmes and partnerships; relevant comparable for scale of monitoring science, funding model, and MPAs portfolio.
• European Environmental Bureau (EEB): Brussels-based federation of European environmental NGOs engaged in EU policy, funding advocacy, and network coordination; comparable on mission and donor ecosystem rather than direct project delivery.

Regional players

• WWF Adria: Regional WWF office covering the Adriatic with marine protected area, fisheries, and biodiversity programmes; competes for Mediterranean conservation funding and partners with national parks and ministries alongside Sunce.
• MedPAN (Mediterranean Protected Areas Network): Inter-network of Mediterranean marine protected areas coordinated from France; relevant due to overlapping remit on MPA management, cross-border cooperation, and EU-funded capacity building in the Adriatic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/NGOSunce/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/udruga.sunce.split
• Instagraminstagram.com/udruga.sunce

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sunce