Seabin Foundation

What Seabin Foundation does

Seabin Foundation Ltd. is an Australian non-profit organisation founded in 2018 and headquartered in Byron Bay, New South Wales, with a research facility, the Ocean Health Lab, in Sydney. The foundation operates in collaboration with a global fleet of approximately 1,100 Seabin floating rubbish bins installed across marinas, ports, and yacht clubs, capturing an average of 2,200 kg of debris daily. It does not sell the Seabin hardware itself, instead directing commercial sponsorship through seabin.io, and positions itself as the education, research, and citizen science layer of the broader Seabin ecosystem.

Its core programs include the free Ocean Health Online Course (launched in 2024, with adapted versions for ages 10-15), STEM lessons delivered in schools and to corporate teams, a Citizen Science Program at the Ocean Health Lab in Sydney, and Corporate Data Experiences. The foundation also publishes research outputs and advocacy campaigns addressing polystyrene microplastics, artificial turf, chocolate wrapper packaging, nurdles, and other marine litter categories.

The foundation is funded primarily through donations, community fundraising events, merchandise sales, workplace giving, retail partnerships (i=Change), and Australian Container Deposit Scheme refunds. Most programs and resources are offered at no cost, with the corporate and school segments serving both as delivery channels and indirect revenue contributors. With 8 employees and no disclosed institutional funding, it operates as a small, community-funded organisation whose value proposition rests on translating real-world Seabin catch data into education, advocacy, and litter prevention outcomes.

Name

Seabin Foundation

Legal name

Seabin Foundation Ltd.

Website

https://seabinfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Seabin Foundation is an Australian non-profit that runs education, citizen science, and research programs analysing marine plastic pollution from a global fleet of approximately 1,100 Seabin floating rubbish bins, serving schools, corporate teams, and individual volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Ocean conservation
• Marine plastic pollution
• Citizen science research
• Environmental education programs
• Litter prevention advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney, New South Wales

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations: The foundation accepts donations to support ocean conservation programs and education initiatives. Direct donation options available through the website.
2. Fundraising: Community fundraising through sport events, workplace giving programs, retail partnerships (i=Change), and crowdfunding platforms. Supporters can raise funds through various channels including Good2Give, Grassrootz, Raisely, and GoFundMe.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling Seabin Foundation merchandise including branded items. Proceeds support ocean conservation efforts.
4. Container Deposit Scheme Donations: Supporters can designate Seabin Foundation as beneficiary in Australian Container Deposit Schemes (Containers for Change, Return and Earn) to donate bottle and can refunds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Seabin Foundation is a non-profit that runs education, citizen science, and advocacy programs built around data from a global fleet of Seabin floating rubbish bins installed in marinas, ports, and yacht clubs. Its Ocean Health Lab in Sydney analyzes plastic pollution samples, and the foundation delivers the free Ocean Health Online Course, STEM lessons, corporate data experiences, and litter prevention campaigns on polystyrene, artificial turf, chocolate packaging, nurdles, and other marine debris.

Product overview

Seabin Foundation is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of educational programs, citizen science initiatives, and advocacy campaigns focused on ocean conservation and plastic pollution prevention. The core offering includes the Seabin device (a floating rubbish bin for marinas and ports) and its associated research program, the Ocean Health Lab. Educational products include a free Ocean Health Online Course, STEM Lessons for schools and corporations, and Citizen Science Programs for data collection. The organization also produces litter prevention campaigns addressing polystyrene, artificial turf, chocolate packaging, nurdles, and coffee cups through surveys, guides, and advocacy resources. These programs work together to collect scientific data on marine plastic pollution while educating the public and advocating for policy change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ocean Health Online Course A free online educational course covering the role of oceans as Earth's life support system, the impacts of plastic pollution, Seabin technology, and global ocean conservation initiatives. Designed for environmental enthusiasts aged 16+ with an adapted version for ages 10-15; upon completion, graduates join the Ocean Health Graduates community.
• STEM Lessons and School Lab Visits Educational STEM lessons delivered for all ages covering the ocean plastics crisis, Seabin evolution, and interactive innovation games, with school lab visits and excursion options for hands-on data sorting activities at Seabins. Designed for kindergarten through high school and adaptable for corporate teams.
• Citizen Science Program Scientific data collection program run at the Ocean Health Lab in Sydney where scientifically minded volunteers assist with analyzing plastic pollution samples (microplastics, polystyrene, nurdles, and other marine debris) collected from the global Seabin fleet.
• Corporate Data Experiences Corporate workshops and data days offered at the Ocean Health Lab in Sydney that provide businesses hands-on experience with ocean health data collection and analysis, supporting CSR, team-building, and employee engagement initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 school children educated through STEM programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Surfrider FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2025Environmental partner at Cole Classic 2025 event in Sydney's Northern Beaches. Jointly hosted stalls with Seabin Foundation sharing insights into ocean health work and litter prevention campaigns including the 'Keep the Turf out of the Surf' campaign.
• Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2025Environmental partner alongside Surfrider Foundation at Cole Classic 2025. Contributes to marine science research collaboration in the fight against microplastics and ocean conservation.
• Ocean Conservation OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Various ocean conservation organizations, brands, and creatives contributed valuable video content to the Ocean Health Course, showcasing collective efforts to nurture ocean stewards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Surfrider Foundation: Grassroots nonprofit protecting oceans and beaches, with active Australia chapters and citizen science programs. Seabin Foundation's documented environmental partner (Cole Classic), making it a near-direct peer in mission, audience, and grassroots engagement model.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Nonprofit focused on removing plastic pollution from oceans and rivers through engineered technology. Highly comparable as both organizations combine purpose-built hardware, ocean plastic research, and public-facing education programs to address marine debris.
• 4ocean: For-profit/consumer-brand hybrid funding ocean cleanup through merchandise sales and cleanup operations. Comparable business architecture: Seabin Foundation similarly sells branded merchandise to fund programs while operating marine debris collection infrastructure.
• EarthEcho International: Nonprofit founded by the Cousteau family focused on youth ocean education and citizen science. Comparable mission emphasis on youth engagement, STEM education, and citizen-driven marine science, serving overlapping audiences (K-12, educators).

Broad incumbents

• Sea Shepherd: Established marine conservation organization running direct-action campaigns and vessel-based operations. Comparable marine conservation focus and global brand recognition, though operating with a much more confrontational, vessel-deployed model.
• Ocean Conservancy: Large U.S.-based marine conservation nonprofit running the International Coastal Cleanup and major policy advocacy. Comparable mission scope (ocean plastic pollution, education, science-based campaigns) but with significantly larger scale, budget, and policy infrastructure.

Regional players

• Healthy Seas Foundation: European nonprofit tackling ghost fishing nets and marine debris through partnerships with divers and brands. Comparable in combining marine debris recovery with education and brand partnerships, though more regionally focused on European waters.

Others

• Marine Debris Foundation: Nonprofit supporting marine debris removal, research, and policy. Comparable subject-matter focus on marine debris science and prevention, though a smaller advocacy body without comparable citizen science or education programming.

Emerging players

• Adventure Scientists: Nonprofit equipping volunteers with tools to gather scientific data in the field, including on plastic pollution. Directly comparable citizen science architecture — leveraging volunteers to scale environmental data collection — though broader in scope (forests, wildlife, plastic).
• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that builds recycling infrastructure in coastal communities to stop ocean plastic. Comparable in addressing plastic at the source rather than only cleanup, with a model that combines environmental impact with livelihoods — adjacent to Seabin's prevent-the-tap philosophy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/seabinfound
• Facebookfacebook.com/SeabinFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/seabin-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/seabinfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Seabin Foundation