Proper Strand Lopers

What Proper Strand Lopers does

Proper Strand Lopers vzw is a Belgian non-profit association (Vereniging Zonder Winstoogmerk) founded in 2016 that operates the longest-running structured volunteer beach cleanup program along the Belgian coast. The organization combines three integrated activities: physical cleanup of beaches and dunes, citizen science data collection via fixed 100-meter monitoring zones that register waste composition in detail, and prevention-focused education and awareness campaigns. It serves four primary customer segments: individual volunteers and citizens (9,000+ Facebook group members, 97 active walking club members), schools and educational institutions (16 schools served in H1 2025 at €4.50/student), corporate groups (22 companies including ING Bank, BNP Paribas, Witteveen Bos, ZEISS, and Inetum served in H1 2025 at €1,300 per session for groups up to 100), and government/public institutions (all Belgian coastal municipalities, OVAM, Fostplus, Mooimakers, Westtoer, Flemish and Federal Government).

The technology base is deliberately low-tech and community-driven: a WordPress/WooCommerce webshop, Stripe payment processing, Facebook group, WhatsApp communications, and a manual citizen science registration methodology. No proprietary software, API, mobile application, or AI/ML capabilities are present in the data. The core 'technology' is the standardized 100-meter monitoring protocol that has generated nearly 900,000 liters of quantified waste data over 9 years, which directly feeds FOD Leefmilieu's federal marine litter action plan.

Revenue is diversified across six streams: annual membership fees (€20/year), merchandise sales (T-shirts, Klean Kanteen drink bottles, Trash Art products), school programs (€4.50/student), corporate teambuilding (€1,300/session), tax-deductible donations via Koning Boudewijnstichting, and passive affiliate income through Trooper.be (600+ participating retailers). Go-to-market is community-led: viral social media content about unique finds (notably the 1997 Lego spill), Propere Zondagen monthly events, #DeStrandhelden summer campaigns, and word-of-mouth drive volunteer recruitment. The organization is governed by co-founder Tim Corbisier (Project Leader) and Chairman Kevin Pierloot, with no disclosed revenue, no funding rounds, and no parent company or external investors.

Name

Proper Strand Lopers

Legal name

Proper Strand Lopers vzw

Website

https://properstrandlopers.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Proper Strand Lopers vzw is a Belgian non-profit founded in 2016 that combines volunteer beach cleanup on the Belgian coast with citizen science data collection, environmental education for schools, and corporate teambuilding programs, serving 9,000+ individual volunteers, 22+ corporate clients, and government partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Remediation Services (562910), Other Waste Collection (562119), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Pollution Control & Environmental Remediation (Booming, Skimming, Shoreline Cleanup) (TLAHAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pollution Response & Environmental Salvage (Oil Spill, HAZMAT) (IMAJANAF)

Keywords

• Beach cleanup services
• Marine conservation
• Citizen science
• Environmental education
• Volunteer organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Oostende

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership at €20 per person, includes personalized membership card, insurance coverage 24/7 during all hiking and cleanup activities, and free subscription to Walking Magazine.
2. Merchandise sales: Webshop selling branded merchandise including T-shirts (€20), drink bottles (€35 discounted from €45), Noordzee Steunkoesen (socks made from ghost nets), and Noordzee Trash Art products.
3. School programs: Educational beach activities for schools at €4.50 per student, including approximately 2 hours of interactive activities with volunteers, observation, tasks, and trash bingo. Runs March to October, groups from 15 students.
4. Corporate teambuilding: Beach cleanup team building services for up to 100 persons at €1,300 per session, includes guided activities, materials, and facilitation.
5. Donations and grants: Financial support through Koning Boudewijnstichting (tax-deductible donations from €40/year), sponsorships, and bequests. Also received recognition as official Flemish environmental organization enabling access to government support.
6. Trooper affiliate referrals: Online shopping affiliate program through Trooper.be where over 600 shops contribute a percentage of sales to the organization at no additional cost to shoppers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Proper Strand Lopers is a Belgian non-profit (vzw) founded in 2016, headquartered in Oostende, that organizes volunteer-driven beach cleanups along the Belgian coastline. Beyond cleanup, the organization integrates citizen science data collection on marine litter, delivers environmental education programs to schools, hosts paid corporate teambuilding events, sells branded merchandise, and operates a membership program supported by donations.

Product overview

Proper Strand Lopers vzw is a Flemish volunteer organization focused on beach cleanup and marine conservation along the Belgian coast. The organization operates a WooCommerce-based webshop offering merchandise products (memberships, apparel, drinkware, socks), art products (Trash Art made from collected beach debris), and services (beach cleanup team guidance for groups up to 100 persons). The product portfolio is relatively unified, centered on supporting the organization's environmental mission through memberships, branded merchandise, and educational/experiential services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beach Cleanup Events Volunteer-organized beach cleanup events along the Belgian coast where individuals and groups remove marine litter from shorelines. Open to the general public and free to participate.
• Citizen Science Program Structured data collection on marine litter encountered during cleanup events, contributing to broader research on coastal pollution. Targets volunteers and researchers.
• School Education Programs Environmental education sessions delivered to schools, teaching students about marine pollution, coastal ecosystems, and sustainability. Targeted at primary and secondary schools in Belgium.
• Corporate Teambuilding Events Paid group teambuilding experiences for companies that combine team activities with hands-on beach cleanup, marketed as a CSR and team-bonding activity.
• Membership Program Paid membership that provides supporters with ongoing engagement, benefits, and sustained funding for the organization's cleanup operations.
• Branded Merchandise Sale of branded merchandise such as clothing and accessories to raise funds and increase visibility for the organization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88,000 liters of beach waste collected in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEA LIFE BlankenbergecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2026Joint educational project 'Red het strand met je klas!' for school beach activities. Combines PSL's cleanup expertise with SEA LIFE's marine education focus.
• Federale Overheidsdienst Leefmilieu (FOD Leefmilieu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2022Official cooperation agreement signed with the Federal Public Service Environment. Part of the federal marine litter action plan, stimulating citizen science through beach waste monitoring. Volunteers contribute to data collection supporting policy making.
• All coastal municipalitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with all Belgian coast municipalities on prevention projects, cleanup activities, and awareness campaigns.
• OVAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish public waste agency partnership for waste prevention and management projects.
• FostpluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on prevention projects and awareness campaigns for packaging waste.
• MooimakerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on litter prevention and cleanup initiatives.
• WesttoerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership on promoting sustainable tourism and coastal awareness.
• Klean KanteenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing discounted drink bottles for the organization. Supplies branded Klean Kanteen Reflect Insulated bottles sold in the webshop.
• TrooperminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate marketing platform with 600+ shops contributing percentage of sales to the organization at no additional cost to shoppers.
• Wandelsport VlaanderencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHiking federation partnership providing members with discounts at official hiking organizations and insurance coverage through the membership card.
• NatuurpuntminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Ijzermonding cleanup activities and nature conservation projects.
• VLIZminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on slipway cleanup at Oosteroever in Oostende, traditional landing place for harbor-related waste.
• Various coastal retailers (Navigo, De Zandvoetjes, Sjefs, Bonk, etc.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRetail partners selling Noordzee Trash Art products at various locations along the Belgian coast.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Koning Boudewijnstichting: Belgian foundation that channels tax-deductible donations to PSL and provides infrastructure for nonprofit fundraising. Acts as an enabling financial intermediary rather than a competitor.
• Wandelsport Vlaanderen: Flemish hiking federation whose membership card and insurance PSL bundles into its annual €20 membership. Strategic distribution partner that broadens PSL's reach into the hiking community.

Regional players

• Natuurpunt: Largest Flemish nature conservation organization with volunteer cleanup activities (e.g. Ijzermonding). Competes with PSL for the same volunteer pool, donations, and coastal conservation funding in Belgium.
• Mooimakers: Flemish anti-litter campaign coordinated by OVAM with corporate and municipal partners. Direct regional counterpart to PSL on litter prevention in Flanders and an existing PSL partner, but operates as a public campaign rather than volunteer association.

Emerging players

• Plastic Free Foundation: Plastic-waste prevention charity running community cleanup and Plastic Free July campaigns. Overlaps with PSL's prevention and behavior-change mission, though primarily UK-based and prevention-led rather than cleanup-led.
• Cleanwalk: App-based community cleanup platform organizing waste collections across European cities and beaches. Comparable to PSL in volunteer-driven cleanup mechanics but uses a digital platform rather than a physical community.

Direct peers

• Ocean Conservancy: Runs the International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer beach cleanup with systematic waste-data capture. Closest analogue to PSL's 100-meter standardized monitoring zones and government-data partnerships.
• Surfrider Foundation: Global volunteer-driven beach cleanup and advocacy organization with a citizen-science data collection program (Beach Cleanup dataset). Directly comparable to PSL on volunteer-led shoreline cleanup, awareness campaigns, and policy engagement.
• 4ocean: Beach cleanup organization that monetizes impact through branded product sales (bracelets, apparel). Directly mirrors PSL's hybrid model of volunteer cleanup paired with a webshop of merchandise and Trash Art.
• Trash Hero: Decentralized, community-led beach and street cleanup organization operating chapters across multiple countries. Comparable to PSL in volunteer mobilization, social-media-driven GTM, and prevention/education focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/properstrandlopers
• Instagraminstagram.com/properstrandlopers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proper-strand-lopers

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 Proper Strand Lopers