What Project Wings Ggmbh does

Project Wings gGmbH is a German charitable non-profit (gGmbH) founded in 2019 and headquartered in Koblenz, Germany, that operates the world's largest recycling village in Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra, Indonesia, at the edge of the Gunung Leuser Nationalpark. The organization combines waste management, nature conservation, animal welfare, and humanitarian aid into a single integrated operation anchored by the Sumatera TrashBank, which collects, sorts, and processes regional plastic waste; a deposit-based Ecobrick system paying local residents approximately 5,500 IDR per bottle; and the Recycling Dorf itself, where over 60,000 Ecobricks embedded in bamboo-clay walls form public buildings. The technical methodology — PET bottles densely packed to ~500g with plastic waste, integrated into walls via clay/cow dung/rice husk mixtures protected by outer clay — is a documented construction technique the organization uses and disseminates through Wings Experience coaching for other NGOs.

The organization's business model is donation-driven and structurally hybrid: 100% of private donations flow directly to on-site projects because German administrative costs are underwritten by a network of green corporate partners (Ben&Anna, Nutridual, Brickmakers, Bahmann, CVC Group, and others). Complementary revenue streams include the Wings Life charity e-commerce store (100% of profits donated), Wings Coin hotel guest sustainability program, Wings Experience NGO coaching, and recurring Wings Member donations. The volunteer program operates year-round with stays from one week to six months, supported by approximately 40 local employees in Indonesia. Education and community components include the Green Class (up to 120 children weekly), Wings Ambassador program across 13 schools, a ranger patrol program with Care Sumatra since 2019, and sustainable agriculture initiatives including an organic farm and a botanical garden cultivating 150+ medicinal plants.

Project Wings targets four distinct stakeholder groups: environmentally conscious individual donors seeking transparent impact, international volunteers, schools and educational institutions for environmental education programs, and corporate sustainability partners. The organization has received recognition including the Menschenrechtspreis, Deutscher Engagementpreis, Filippas Engel Award, and grants from Deutsche Lotterie-stiftung and BNI Foundation, with sustained earned media coverage across ARD, ZDF, RTL, SAT.1, ProSieben, and National Geographic. A virtual 360° tour of the recycling village was added in January 2024 to support remote donor engagement.

Name

Project Wings Ggmbh

Legal name

Project Wings gGmbH

Website

https://project-wings.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Project Wings gGmbH is a German non-profit operating the world's largest recycling village in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, combining waste management, nature conservation, environmental education, and humanitarian aid through Ecobrick construction, a deposit-based trash bank, and corporate-underwritten overhead.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Municipal Solid Waste Collection (Residential/Commercial) (IMAIAFAA)

Keywords

• Plastic waste recycling
• Environmental education
• Waste management services
• Conservation services
• Ecobrick construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Koblenz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Individual donations from supporters worldwide, including one-time and recurring Wings Membership donations. 100% of private donations flow directly to project work as German operational costs are covered by green partner companies.
2. Wings Life Online Shop: Charity e-commerce store selling sustainable, plastic-free products. 100% of profits donated to Project Wings.
3. Wings Experience: Training and coaching programs for other NGOs and social enterprises seeking to develop similar aid organization structures.
4. Wings Coin: Sustainable travel partnership where hotel guests can cancel room cleaning in exchange for free drinks, with compensation going to environmental projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Project Wings operates the world's largest recycling village in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, constructed from Ecobricks (PET bottles densely packed with plastic waste), bamboo, and clay. The organization integrates plastic waste management, nature conservation (ranger patrols protecting national parks), environmental education for schools, and humanitarian aid under one unified, transparent project structure.

Product overview

Project Wings Ggmbh is a non-profit environmental protection organization (gGmbH) founded in 2019 in Koblenz, Germany, operating the world's largest recycling village in Bukit Lawang, Sumatra. Its portfolio is organized as a holistically integrated system connecting humanitarian aid, nature conservation, and animal welfare. The core offering is the Recycling Dorf (Recycling Village), built from Ecobricks — PET bottles densely packed with plastic waste — combined with bamboo, clay, and natural materials. This sits atop a comprehensive Waste Management System anchored by the Sumatera TrashBank, which collects, sorts, and processes regional waste. Supporting sub-brands include Wings Life (a charity online store donating 100% of profits), Wings Coin (a hotel guest sustainability coin program), Wings Experience (coaching for other NGOs), the Wings Member recurring donation program, and a Volunteering Program. Educational offerings span the Green Class and Eco-Trail in Indonesia and school partnership programs in Germany. Sustainability agriculture (organic farm, botanical garden, tree nursery) and a ranger patrol program for endangered species complete the ecosystem. No public API or technical product integrations are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wings Life: Charity online store selling sustainable products; profits donated to Project Wings
• Wings Experience
• Wings Coin
• Wings Water
• Green Class
• Wings Ambassador
• Wings Members

Quantifiable outcome

• 70+ permanent jobs created in Indonesia
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wings LifecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity online store selling sustainable, plastic-free products. 100% of profits are donated to Project Wings, making it a key revenue-generating partnership for environmental projects.
• Wings ExperiencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoaching and training programs for other NGOs and social enterprises to help them develop similar aid organization structures. Shares Project Wings' operational knowledge and experience.
• Wings CoinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSustainable travel partnership with hotels where guests can cancel room cleaning in exchange for free drinks, with compensation going to environmental projects.
• Care SumatracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner organization managing ranger patrols in the Gunung Leuser Nationalpark buffer zone. Rangers remove traps, install camera traps, and work to reduce illegal poaching.
• Yamasbale CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal community organization working with Project Wings on buffer zone protection. Supports community collaboration for comprehensive rainforest and wildlife protection.
• Sumatradogsandcats (Conny's Tierhilfe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal animal welfare initiative providing medical care, sterilization, and vaccination for stray dogs and cats. Project Wings funds team salaries and dog shelter.
• Ben&AnnaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNatural, plastic-free personal care company that funded the construction of the Clean Soul Sanitary House in the recycling village.
• NutridualminorGTM or Marketing Partner100% climate-neutral company engaged in environmental protection partnerships. Part of the strong partner network supporting Project Wings.
• BahmannminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner demonstrating that environmental protection is socially acceptable, supporting Project Wings initiatives.
• CVC GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStrong partner company supporting Project Wings' environmental protection mission.
• FIFA (Sport Centre X)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in FIFA article about Adler's sustainable football pitch project. Project Wings mentioned as part of the Sport Centre X initiative.
• FairgrapesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner engaged in animal protection activities alongside Project Wings.
• HIN (Health in Numbers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting Project Wings in environmental protection efforts.
• FixumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner company supporting Project Wings initiatives.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Regional players

• Greeneration Foundation: Indonesian environmental foundation focused on waste management, education, and community empowerment. Comparable integrated waste + education approach and Indonesian operations, though it is domestically headquartered and not focused on physical recycling-village infrastructure.
• Yayasan Bina Nusantara Lestari (Binalestari): Indonesian environmental foundation operating community-based waste banks and recycling education programs. Directly comparable on the TrashBank-style community-deposit model and Indonesian geography, though smaller scale and less international media profile than Project Wings.

Direct peers

• Waste4Change: Indonesian waste management company offering waste collection, sorting, recycling, and education services to businesses and communities. Closely comparable service portfolio (waste collection, sorting/MRF, environmental education) though it operates as a B2B-focused social enterprise rather than a donation-funded NGO.
• Plastic Bank: Social enterprise that collects ocean-bound plastic and rewards collectors with digital tokens, operating collection networks across Southeast Asia (including Indonesia). Highly comparable mission (plastic diversion, community economic incentives) and product overlap (collection → processing → reuse) though Plastic Bank is for-profit and token-based.
• Sungai Watch: Indonesia-based NGO deploying river barriers and cleanup crews to intercept plastic waste before it reaches the ocean. Comparable geography (Indonesia), comparable core mission (waste collection from waterways), and a similar community-engagement model; smaller and more operationally focused than Project Wings.

Broad incumbents

• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global alliance of NGOs, businesses, and activists working to end plastic pollution. Comparable advocacy focus and donor-supported nonprofit model, but operates as a coalition/advocacy organization rather than running a physical waste-collection and processing operation.
• The Ocean Cleanup: Large-scale, internationally funded NGO removing plastic from rivers and oceans using engineered interceptor systems. Comparable mission (plastic removal at scale) and global media presence, but much larger donor base, broader geographic footprint, and technology-heavy approach versus Project Wings' community-integrated model.
• Parley for the Oceans: Global organization partnering with brands to repurpose intercepted marine plastic into products. Comparable plastic-recovery mission and brand-partnership-driven revenue model, but operates a commercial recycling/upcycling platform rather than a community-led NGO.
• Greenpeace Germany: Large German environmental NGO with major German-media presence and recurring donor base. Comparable German donor-acquisition playbook (media-driven, individual-donation heavy) and ESG advocacy mission, but operates a global campaign model rather than community-based field projects.

Emerging players

• Bye Bye Plastic Bags: Bali-based youth-led NGO campaigning against single-use plastics and running community cleanup and education programs. Comparable advocacy + education focus and Indonesian footprint, though it focuses more on policy/awareness and less on physical waste processing infrastructure than Project Wings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCclQIILDHeOJefxhmSqa93w
• Facebookfacebook.com/ProjectWingsEco
• Instagraminstagram.com/project.wings
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/project-wings-de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Project Wings Ggmbh