Race Against Waste
Race Against Waste is a Dutch educational organization running gamified 'Race' programs — E-waste, Textile, Energy, and Water — that teach primary school children circular economy principles through project-based partnerships with schools and municipalities across the Netherlands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersEindhoven, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Race Against Waste does
Race Against Waste B.V. is a Dutch private educational organization headquartered in Eindhoven that runs gamified 'Race' programs — E-waste Race, Textile Race (Textiel Race), Energy Race, and Water Race — to teach primary school children about circular economy principles including waste reduction, reuse, repair, recycling, energy conservation, and water stewardship. The organization designs competition-based curricula where school teams earn points for activities such as collecting electronic waste, gathering textiles, performing repairs, hosting swap events, and promoting energy and water savings; winners receive school trips as incentives. Operationally, the company delivers its programs through direct engagement with primary schools and partnerships with Dutch municipalities including Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Westland, Venray, Zaanstad, Geldrop-Mierlo, and Peel en Maas.
The core product portfolio is organized into four thematic Races (each with a dedicated product page on raceagainstwaste.org) plus complementary offerings: Maatwerk Projecten (bespoke circular economy campaigns tailored to specific partners and municipalities) and Workshops (educational sessions for children and adults). The underlying delivery mechanism is people-intensive: a small team (approximately 5 named staff led by Director Timmy de Vos, including project managers, a cluster manager, and marketing/office management) coordinates in-school programming, partner logistics, and impact measurement. There is no proprietary software platform; the technology footprint consists of a Dutch/English bilingual website (CMS-based, Drupal), social media channels, and partner integrations such as the Marktplaats marketplace where children can list items for reuse to earn race points.
The business model is project-based professional services revenue generated through customized engagements with schools and municipalities, supplemented by corporate co-funding and public-sector grants. The Textiel Race is co-financed by Kansen voor West (a Dutch regional fund backed by the European Union and Province of Noord-Holland). Corporate partnerships with Fairphone, Marktplaats (eBay Netherlands), WEEE NL, Wecycle, Sympany, Renewi, MudJeans, and Wolkat provide content, distribution, and in-kind support rather than disclosed revenue. Pricing is not publicly listed; contracts appear negotiated with municipal and institutional clients. The organization is founder-led, privately held, and impact-driven rather than venture-backed, with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or revenue figures in the source materials.
Race Against Waste firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Race Against Waste
- Legal name
- Race Against Waste B.V.
- Website
- https://raceagainstwaste.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Race Against Waste is a Dutch educational organization running gamified 'Race' programs — E-waste, Textile, Energy, and Water — that teach primary school children circular economy principles through project-based partnerships with schools and municipalities across the Netherlands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Race Against Waste industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Education Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation) (EDAMABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction (BPAGAGAJ), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA)
Keywords
Where Race Against Waste is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Eindhoven
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Race Against Waste business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Project-based programs: Race Against Waste generates revenue through customized project programs (maatwerk projecten) for schools and municipalities, where they design and implement circular economy education and awareness campaigns. The Textiel Race is co-funded by Kansen voor West and the European Union.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Race Against Waste product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Race Against Waste designs and runs themed, gamified educational "race" programs (E-waste Race, Textiel Race, Energy Race, and Water Race) that engage primary school children in collecting e-waste and textiles, conserving energy, and addressing water sustainability. The programs are delivered through direct partnerships with schools and municipalities across the Netherlands, complemented by custom projects and workshops on circular economy topics.
Product overview
Race Against Waste operates as an educational organization offering a portfolio of themed 'Race' programs (E-waste Race, Textiel Race, Energy Race, and Water Race) that use gamified competition formats for schools to engage children and communities in circular economy topics. These core programs are complemented by custom projects and workshops. The organization functions as a not-for-profit impact-driven initiative focused on inspiring and activating participation in the transition to a circular economy, rather than offering a traditional SaaS or technology product.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- E-waste Race
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2 million devices collected through E-waste Race
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Race Against Waste
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Race Against Waste technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Race Against Waste partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- T-REX Project (Textile Recycling Excellence)coreEU-funded collaboration with 13 international organizations working on textile waste challenges. Race Against Waste and T-REX Project collaborated on a Textile Race in Westland municipality (September-October 2024), engaging 7 teams from 5 schools. The partnership aims to address the fact that only 2% of post-consumer textiles in the EU is recycled.
- MarktplaatscoreRace Against Waste partnered with Marktplaats (eBay Netherlands) to encourage children to give their textiles and electronic waste a second life by listing items for free on the Marktplaats platform. Children can earn up to 300 points during races by placing items on Marktplaats. The partnership leverages Marktplaats's millions of buyers and sellers to amplify circular economy messaging.
- FairphonecoreFairphone and Race Against Waste collaborate on E-waste Race projects in schools, such as primary schools in Zaanstad. Fairphone provides support as a circular electronics company focused on fairly and ethically sourced materials.
- WEEE NLminorWEEE NL is a Dutch producer responsibility organization for electrical and electronic equipment, supporting e-waste collection initiatives.
- WecycleminorWecycle is a Dutch e-waste collection and recycling organization, supporting the E-waste Race program.
- Stichting OpenminorStichting Open supports open standards and circular economy initiatives.
- SympanyminorSympany is a textile collection and recycling organization supporting textile waste reduction programs.
- RenewiminorRenewi is a waste-to-product company focusing on recycling and circular economy solutions.
- Het GoedminorHet Goed is a thrift store chain where second-hand items can be dropped off for reuse.
- WolkatminorWolkat is a textile recycling company.
- MudJeansminorMudJeans is a circular denim brand offering lease-a-jean services.
- Gemeente AmsterdamminorMunicipality of Amsterdam supports local circular economy initiatives.
- Gemeente EindhovenminorMunicipality of Eindhoven supports local circular economy programs.
- Gemeente VenrayminorMunicipality of Venray supports local circular economy initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Race Against Waste competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Plastic Soup Foundation: Dutch environmental NGO running awareness and education campaigns about plastic pollution. Comparable as a Netherlands-based non-profit using campaigns to shift citizen behaviour on waste topics.
- WasteAid: International charity that trains communities and educators on waste reduction, recycling, and circular economy practices. Comparable education-led, community-driven delivery model in the waste/circular economy space.
- Precious Plastic: Netherlands-origin open-source community movement for small-scale plastic recycling, with strong educational and DIY components. Comparable as a community- and education-led circular economy engagement platform.
- Repair Café Foundation: A Netherlands-based international foundation that organises community volunteer repair events to extend product life, with school and municipality engagement. Highly comparable to Race Against Waste's gamified, community-driven circular economy model.
Broad incumbents
- Renewi: Listed Dutch waste-to-product company running recycling and circular economy infrastructure. Comparable as a partner-side Dutch waste management operator that underpins tangible collection outcomes.
- Circle Economy Foundation: Netherlands-founded impact organisation producing the annual Circularity Gap Report and advising industry/policy on circular economy transition. Comparable as a Dutch circular economy leader, but operating at sector/policy level rather than school-targeted programmes.
- Wecycle: Dutch producer responsibility organisation operating consumer e-waste collection infrastructure. Comparable as a Netherlands-based e-waste actor that provides operational collection capacity behind Race Against Waste's E-waste Race metrics.
- Sympany: Dutch textile collection and reuse operator. Comparable as a partner-side Dutch textile circular economy actor supporting the textile volumes behind Race Against Waste's Textile Race.
Emerging players
- Common Objective: UK-based B2B platform connecting fashion brands with sustainable suppliers and circular textile services. Comparable in the circular textile theme, but serving corporate buyers rather than schools/children.
Regional players
- Sustainable Coastlines: New Zealand-based non-profit running education, clean-up, and citizen-engagement campaigns around waste. Comparable education-led, community-driven model in a different geography and sub-topic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Race Against Waste social profiles
Digital presenceRace Against Waste financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Race Against Waste leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Race Against Waste funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Race Against Waste M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Race Against Waste
What does Race Against Waste do?
Race Against Waste designs and runs themed, gamified educational "race" programs (E-waste Race, Textiel Race, Energy Race, and Water Race) that engage primary school children in collecting e-waste and textiles, conserving energy, and addressing water sustainability. The programs are delivered through direct partnerships with schools and municipalities across the Netherlands, complemented by custom projects and workshops on circular economy topics.
Is Race Against Waste a public or private company?
Race Against Waste is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Race Against Waste founded?
Race Against Waste was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Race Against Waste based?
Race Against Waste is headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Race Against Waste make money?
One revenue line is on record: project-based programs.
Who are Race Against Waste's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Plastic Soup Foundation, WasteAid, Precious Plastic and Repair Café Foundation. Broad incumbents are Renewi, Circle Economy Foundation, Wecycle and Sympany. Common Objective is listed as an emerging player. Sustainable Coastlines is listed as a regional player.
Does Race Against Waste have an API?
No public API is recorded for Race Against Waste.
What industry is Race Against Waste in?
Race Against Waste's product category is Environmental Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAD, Environmental Science & Sustainability Programs (Ecology, Climate, Conservation), with a secondary code of BPAGAGAJ, Pollution Prevention & Toxics Reduction. Its NAICS code is 61162 and its SIC code is 4953.