What Sungai Watch does

Sungai Watch is a Bali-headquartered environmental nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by siblings Gary, Kelly, and Sam Bencheghib to intercept plastic pollution in rivers before it reaches the ocean. The organization installs simple, low-cost trash barriers across waterways in Bali and Java, Indonesia, which are cleaned daily and feed into a downstream collection, sorting (30+ material categories), and recycling workflow that culminates in up-cycling through its sister social enterprise Sungai Design. Complementary offerings include emergency cleanups at illegal dumpsites, a public-facing river pollution map cataloguing barriers, cleanups, and 350+ identified illegal landfills, weekly community volunteer cleanups (45,386+ hours since April 2022), and education programs targeting local schools and communities.

The organization is operationally based in Indonesia through Yayasan Sungai Watch Indonesia and handles US donations through a parallel registered 501(c)(3) entity, Make A Change World Inc, with Australian giving enabled through partner Myriad Australia. Sungai Watch is a One Percent for the Planet Certified Environmental Partner. The platform is built on Shopify for donation processing and uses Bookinglayer for volunteer registration and Airtable for the Sungai Hotline crowdsourced river-reporting tool.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations and corporate sponsorships, structured across three tiers: Barrier Partnership (individual river barriers, cleaned daily for one year), Village Model Partnership (comprehensive village-level cleanup programs, with 180+ active partner locations across Bali and Java), and Mission Partnership (unrestricted operational support). Additional revenue comes from individual donations, grants and foundations, and corporate speaking engagements. Named partners span hospitality (W Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Bali, Four Seasons), technology (SAP, Adobe Creative Cloud), consumer goods (Solgaard), banking CSR (BRI Peduli), beverage (Corona x Oceanic Global), environmental NGOs (Sea Shepherd, Only One), and family foundations (Maida Foundation). The Run for Rivers fundraising campaign targets a $1 million goal tied to a 1200km, 58-day expedition completed in June 2024.

Name

Sungai Watch

Legal name

Yayasan Sungai Watch Indonesia / Make A Change World Inc

Website

https://sungai.watch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Sungai Watch is an Indonesia-based nonprofit that installs and maintains river trash barriers to intercept plastic pollution before it reaches the ocean, operating across Bali and Java with 180+ staff, corporate Village Model partners, and grant-funded operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Cleanup Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Spill Response & Environmental Cleanup (Oil/Chemical Spills) (BPALAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emergency Waste Packaging, Transportation & Disposal (Post-incident) (EUAIAMAH)

Keywords

• River plastic cleanup
• Trash barrier installation
• Environmental nonprofit services
• Community waste management
• Plastic pollution prevention

Headquarters

HQ city

Bali

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: General donations from individuals are used to fund river and waterway cleanups, with 100% of funds going towards cleanup-related projects including hiring local teams, purchasing equipment, and operational costs.
2. Village Model Partnership: Corporate partners sponsor entire villages for comprehensive cleanup and waste management programs. Partners receive quarterly progress reports detailing plastic collected and community impact.
3. Barrier Partnership: Individual barrier sponsorship allowing companies to place a barrier in one river, cleaned daily for one year. Partners receive quarterly progress reports.
4. Mission Partnership: Sponsorship of operations, cleanup, and research work. Includes support from companies like Adobe Creative Cloud, SAP, and various hospitality businesses.
5. Speaking Engagements: Revenue from corporate speaking engagements about Sungai Watch's mission and environmental work.
6. Grants & Foundations: Support through grants from foundations that fuels mission to protect rivers and build long-term solutions to plastic pollution by growing core team, investing in innovation, and expanding community programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sungai Watch designs and installs simple, low-cost trash barriers in rivers to intercept plastic pollution before it reaches the ocean, then collects, sorts (into 30+ material categories), and recycles or upcycles the waste. It supplements this with emergency cleanups at illegal dumps and riverbanks and weekly community volunteer cleanup programs in Bali and Java, Indonesia. Operations are funded through donations and corporate partnership sponsorships.

Product overview

Sungai Watch is an environmental nonprofit organization offering a integrated plastic pollution cleanup ecosystem, not a traditional software product company. The core offering consists of physical trash barriers installed in rivers to intercept plastic before it reaches the ocean, supported by emergency cleanup operations and community volunteer cleanup programs. The organization operates a complete waste management workflow: barriers catch trash, daily cleanups collect it, sorting centers separate materials into 30+ categories, and the sister company Sungai Design upcycles low-value plastics. Funding comes through donations and three sponsorship tiers: Barrier Partnership (sponsor individual barriers), Village Model Partnership (support geographic regions), and Mission Partnership (support operations and research). Additional offerings include education and outreach programs, pollution mapping, and the Run for Rivers fundraising campaign. All operations are nonprofit, registered as a Yayasan in Indonesia and 501(c)(3) in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trash Barriers

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,386+ volunteer hours contributed since April 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.

• Make A Change World InccoreOthersUS-based 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit entity that serves as the primary vehicle for accepting tax-deductible donations. Federal tax identification: 87-2896289.
• Yayasan Sungai Watch IndonesiacoreOthersIndonesian registered charity (Yayasan) that receives 100% of funds from US nonprofit to support local operations in Indonesia.
• Myriad AustraliasupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian partner organization enabling tax deduction eligibility for Australian donors wanting to support Sungai Watch's environmental work.
• Sungai DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company that innovates ways to recycle low-value plastics collected from river cleanups. Internal social enterprise for up-cycling collected materials.
• Corona x Oceanic GlobalflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Banyuwangi, Java, Indonesia. Joint partnership between Corona beer brand and Oceanic Global foundation supporting comprehensive village cleanup programs.
• BRI PeduliflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Banking CSR initiative supporting waste management and cleanup operations in the capital city of Bali.
• Only OneflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia. Environmental platform supporting comprehensive village cleanup and waste management programs.
• Green-GotflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Giri, Java, Indonesia. Financial platform supporting environmental initiatives and plastic pollution prevention.
• SolgaardflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Rogojampi, Java, Indonesia. Consumer goods company supporting environmental cleanup programs.
• Maida FoundationflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerVillage Model Partner in Sidoarjo, Java, Indonesia with multiple barrier sponsors. Foundation supporting environmental and community development programs.
• Adobe Creative CloudsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Partner providing Adobe Creative Cloud software to support operations, cleanup documentation, and research work.
• SAPsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Partner supporting operations, cleanup, and research work through corporate social responsibility initiatives.
• Sea ShepherdsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrier Partner supporting marine plastic pollution prevention through river cleanup sponsorship.
• W HotelsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrier Partner and Mission Partner supporting river cleanup operations through hospitality industry environmental initiatives.
• Four Seasons For GoodsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrier Partner supporting river cleanup operations through luxury hospitality brand's ESG program.
• Hard Rock Hotel BalisupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrier Partner and Mission Partner supporting river cleanup operations through hotel's environmental responsibility program.
• One Percent for the PlanetflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCertified Environmental Partner of One Percent for the Planet, demonstrating commitment to environmental giving and sustainability.
• BookinglayersupportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing booking platform for volunteer cleanup registration and scheduling.
• A New Earth ProjectsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBarrier Partner supporting environmental mission and plastic pollution prevention.
• Nippon Foundation Volunteer CentersupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerMission Partner providing volunteer support and foundation funding for operations and community programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 4ocean: For-profit-cum-purpose brand that funds ocean and coastline cleanup through bracelet and merchandise sales. Comparable in mission (plastic recovery), GTM (consumer-driven donations), and impact-reporting model, though focused on coastline rather than rivers.
• WasteAid: Nonprofit focused on waste management and circular economy in low- and middle-income countries, including community-led recycling. Comparable nonprofit structure, community-engagement model, and developing-country focus.
• Surfrider Foundation: Grassroots nonprofit focused on clean water, beach access, and plastic pollution prevention. Comparable volunteer-driven cleanup programs, donor-supported nonprofit model, and education/outreach emphasis.
• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that intercepts plastic in coastal communities and rewards collectors with digital tokens. Comparable mission of stopping ocean-bound plastic, operates in Indonesia-adjacent geographies, and uses corporate partnership model for funding.
• Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: Marine conservation nonprofit and existing Barrier Partner of Sungai Watch. Comparable mission (marine ecosystem protection), nonprofit funding model, and direct operational overlap in ocean plastic prevention.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Founder-led nonprofit deploying physical barriers and cleanup systems in rivers and oceans to intercept plastic pollution. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping barrier-in-river technology, founder-driven brand, and global donor base.

Others

• Oceanic Global: Nonprofit producing the UN-recognized Plastic Disclosure Project and the HUB for ocean conservation. Already a joint partner with Corona in supporting Sungai Watch Village Model — adjacent ecosystem participant enabling corporate sustainability partnerships.

Emerging players

• TerraCycle: For-profit recycling company operating circular solutions for hard-to-recycle waste streams. Comparable upcycling and sorting expertise relevant to Sungai Design operations, though primarily operates as a commercial recycler rather than nonprofit.
• Lonely Whale Foundation: Nonprofit focused on ocean health and plastic pollution, with corporate partnership-driven model. Comparable cause-marketing and corporate ESG partnership approach, smaller scale and broader advocacy focus.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global advocacy nonprofit working to stop plastic pollution through campaigns, policy, and education. Comparable advocacy and stakeholder-engagement mission, complementary upstream focus vs. Sungai Watch's downstream interception.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@sungaiwatch
• LinkedInid.linkedin.com/company/sungai-watch
• Instagraminstagram.com/sungaiwatch
• TikToktiktok.com/@sungaiwatch

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Sungai Watch