MedWaves
MedWaves is a Barcelona-based UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre that supports Mediterranean governments, SMEs, and green entrepreneurs in advancing sustainable consumption, circular economy, and non-toxic production through policy advisory, capacity building, and the Switchers digital ecosystem.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MedWaves does
MedWaves is a Barcelona-based non-profit intergovernmental organization serving as the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production and a Regional Activity Centre for the Stockholm Convention. It supports Mediterranean countries, governments, SMEs, and green entrepreneurs in advancing sustainable, circular, and non-toxic economies through policy advisory, capacity building, technical assistance, and direct funding facilitation. The organization was established under the Barcelona and Stockholm UN-led Conventions and was rebranded from SCP/RAC to MedWaves in May 2022.
MedWaves' core product portfolio is the Switchers ecosystem, which comprises six interlinked digital platforms: TheSwitchers.org (resource navigation portal), The Switchers Community (networking platform), The Switchers Fund (impact fund for green start-ups), The Switchers Products (product marketplace), The Switchers Toolbox (green lean start-up business development suite), and the Open Eco-Innovation Platform (matching seekers with providers of green solutions). These are complemented by the SwitchMed initiative, the WeMed Awards programme, and project-specific platforms such as Plastic Busters MPAs. Distribution is primarily direct through EU-funded project consortia, UNEP/MAP system frameworks, and national focal points across the Mediterranean.
The organization operates on a grant-funded, non-commercial model. Revenue is derived from EU-funded projects (including WES-BCA at €7M for 2024-2027, SEACURE at €700k, and SwitchMed, STAND Up!, GIMED, RESET), institutional funding via UNEP/MAP, and ENI CBC MED cross-border cooperation mechanisms. Core services are provided free of charge to governments and stakeholders, with the Switchers Fund channeling direct funding to green entrepreneurs. The organization is legally hosted by the Catalan Waste Agency and serves as a public-sector entity rather than a commercial venture.
MedWaves firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MedWaves
- Legal name
- MedWaves, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production
- Website
- https://medwaves-centre.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MedWaves is a Barcelona-based UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre that supports Mediterranean governments, SMEs, and green entrepreneurs in advancing sustainable consumption, circular economy, and non-toxic production through policy advisory, capacity building, and the Switchers digital ecosystem.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MedWaves industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental Sustainability Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPAIAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK)
Keywords
Where MedWaves is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
MedWaves business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- EU/International Funding Programs: MedWaves operates primarily through EU-funded projects and international funding mechanisms. As a UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre, they receive institutional funding and implement grant-based programs. Projects include WES-BCA (€7M budget), SEACURE open calls (€700k), and various ENI CBC MED initiatives.
- Technical Assistance and Advisory Services: MedWaves provides advisory services, training, and capacity building to Mediterranean governments, businesses, and entrepreneurs as part of their mandate under the Barcelona and Stockholm Conventions.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
MedWaves product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MedWaves is a UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre that delivers technical assistance, capacity building, and policy advisory services to advance Sustainable Consumption and Production and circular economies across the Mediterranean region. It operates The Switchers ecosystem of digital platforms and programmes (including The Switchers Support Programme, SwitchMed, The Switchers Fund, the Open Eco-Innovation Platform, and The Switchers Toolbox) that support green entrepreneurs, SMEs, governments, and civil society. Services are funded through EU and international grants and include policy framework support, business development tools, sustainable finance facilitation, and stakeholder dialogue.
Product overview
MedWaves is a Centre for international cooperation developing joint solutions addressing shared environmental challenges, based on circular economies and Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The organization operates The Switchers ecosystem of digital platforms as its core product portfolio, which includes The Switchers.org (web platform), The Switchers Community, The Switchers Fund (impact investment vehicle), The Switchers Products marketplace, The Switchers Toolbox (business development suite), and the Open Eco Innovation Platform. These are complemented by the SwitchMed initiative, WeMed Awards program, and participation in projects like Plastic Busters MPAs. The organization also serves as a Regional Activity Centre for the Stockholm Convention, providing technical assistance, capacity building, and advisory services to Mediterranean stakeholders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Switchers: A platform and support programme for green entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean region pursuing circular economic and sustainable business models.
- The Switchers Support Programme
- The Switchers Fund
- The Switchers Products
- Open Eco-Innovation Platform
- The Switchers Toolbox
- SwitchMed
- WeMed Awards
Products and services
- The Switchers Support Programme Creates an enabling environment for entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises pursuing circular economic and sustainable business models in the Mediterranean region, providing tools, services, training, mentorship, and networking support.
- SwitchMed Initiative Initiative supporting sustainable consumption and production practices for a circular economy in the Mediterranean, providing tools and services directly to the private sector, supporting an enabling policy environment, and facilitating exchange of information among partners and stakeholders.
- The Switchers Fund Impact fund for green start-ups in the Mediterranean that facilitates direct funding and business support services to existing and future green, circular, and social entrepreneurs.
- The Switchers Toolbox Comprehensive business development suite based on the green lean start-up methodology that gives users access to a wide range of tools to design, prototype, test, and grow their green business ideas.
- Open Eco-Innovation Platform Platform enabling matching between seekers of green and circular business solutions (companies and public institutions) and providers (start-ups and entrepreneurs) using an open innovation approach.
- WeMed Awards Award programme recognizing sustainable entrepreneurship and green business innovations in the Mediterranean region, with applications open for the 2026 edition.
- Plastic Busters MPAs Interreg Med-funded project aiming to contribute to maintaining biodiversity and preserving natural ecosystems in pelagic and coastal protected areas by consolidating Mediterranean efforts to address marine litter.
- WES-BCA (Water and Environment Support – Biodiversity and Climate Action) Project EU-funded capacity building and technical assistance project with a €7 million budget, duration 2024–2027, supporting eight Southern and Eastern Mediterranean partner countries on biodiversity and climate action through technical assistance, training, and policy support.
- The Switchers.org Web Platform Web platform serving as a compass for business ecosystem players to find their path to the Switchers Support Programme's service offer, helping stakeholders navigate circular economy resources, training, funding, and partnership opportunities in the Mediterranean.
Quantifiable outcome
- MedWaves implements programs supporting Mediterranean countries in meeting Stockholm Convention obligations on persistent organic pollutants
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MedWaves
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MedWaves technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
MedWaves partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- UNEP/MAP (United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan)coreMedWaves serves as the official UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production, operating within the framework of the Barcelona Convention system. This is the primary institutional mandate for the organization.
- Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic PollutantscoreMedWaves is a Regional Activity Centre for the Stockholm Convention, supporting the collective effort to overcome threats of hazardous chemicals to human and environmental health. MedWaves helps Mediterranean countries meet their obligations under this global treaty.
- Barcelona ConventioncoreMedWaves operates within the framework of the Barcelona Convention (Mediterranean Action Plan), working with Contracting Parties and partners to fulfill the vision of a healthy Mediterranean Sea and Coast.
- LDK Consultants S.A.majorLead partner in the WES-BCA Implementing Consortium. LDK Consultants leads the European consortium providing capacity building and technical expertise.
- Arab Network for Environment and Development (RAED)majorPartner in WES-BCA Implementing Consortium, bringing regional network and expertise in environment and development across Arab countries.
- Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+)majorPartner in WES-BCA Implementing Consortium, contributing expertise in sustainable resource management at local and regional levels.
- Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari)majorPartner in WES-BCA Implementing Consortium, providing agricultural and environmental expertise for Mediterranean development.
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE)majorPartner in WES-BCA Implementing Consortium, contributing Mediterranean environmental and sustainable development expertise.
- Catalan Waste AgencycoreHost institution for MedWaves. The Catalan Waste Agency provides institutional hosting and support for the organization's operations.
- Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)majorMedWaves cooperates with UfM agenda and pushes forward the EU Agenda for the Mediterranean in implementing environmental programs.
- Interreg Mediterranean Biodiversity Protection CommunitymajorCollaboration on marine litter issues, including joint work on BeMed-Islands capitalization process and MARLICE events.
- Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed)majorMedWaves is partner and implementer in the Beyond Plastic Med capitalization process in islands, contributing to plastic pollution reduction efforts in Mediterranean islands.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MedWaves competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP): A joint European Commission/EIB stakeholder platform advancing the circular economy across Europe, addressing the same policy framework and stakeholder community MedWaves engages through its Switchers and dialogue work.
- Plan Bleu (UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre): Another Regional Activity Centre within the UNEP/MAP system (focused on environment and development in the Mediterranean), operating under the same Barcelona Convention framework and serving the same contracting parties, making it the closest institutional peer to MedWaves.
- REMPEC (Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean): A sister UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre dealing with marine pollution prevention and emergency response, sharing the same treaty framework and Mediterranean mandate on marine litter and chemicals that MedWaves also addresses.
Broad incumbents
- UNDP (United Nations Development Programme): A larger UN development agency that funds and implements sustainable development and climate programmes in the Mediterranean, overlapping with MedWaves' SCP, capacity-building and green-economy agendas.
- UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization): A larger UN agency whose Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development agenda overlaps with MedWaves' work on eco-innovation, sustainable business models and circular economy programmes for developing economies.
- GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal development agency implements EU and bilateral projects on circular economy and environmental policy in the Mediterranean, often as a consortium peer and offering comparable capacity-building services at much larger scale.
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation: A globally recognised circular-economy thought leader that convenes businesses, governments and academia, overlapping with MedWaves' mission to advance circular economies and sustainable consumption and production.
Emerging players
- Circle Economy Foundation: An impact organisation that produces the Circularity Gap Report and runs circular-economy implementation programmes, directly comparable in mandate to MedWaves' Circular Economy and SCP expertise and Switchers ecosystem.
Regional players
- WWF Mediterranean: WWF's Mediterranean programme working on marine litter, plastic pollution and sustainable economies across the same set of countries MedWaves serves, often partnering on awareness and policy advocacy.
- IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN Med): IUCN's regional hub covering Mediterranean biodiversity, marine conservation and sustainable development, working with overlapping Mediterranean governments and environmental conventions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MedWaves social profiles
Digital presenceMedWaves financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MedWaves leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
MedWaves funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MedWaves 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 MedWaves
What does MedWaves do?
MedWaves is a UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre that delivers technical assistance, capacity building, and policy advisory services to advance Sustainable Consumption and Production and circular economies across the Mediterranean region. It operates The Switchers ecosystem of digital platforms and programmes (including The Switchers Support Programme, SwitchMed, The Switchers Fund, the Open Eco-Innovation Platform, and The Switchers Toolbox) that support green entrepreneurs, SMEs, governments, and civil society. Services are funded through EU and international grants and include policy framework support, business development tools, sustainable finance facilitation, and stakeholder dialogue.
Is MedWaves a public or private company?
MedWaves is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MedWaves founded?
MedWaves was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MedWaves based?
MedWaves is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does MedWaves make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. EU/International Funding Programs are the primary driver. The others are technical Assistance and Advisory Services.
Who are MedWaves's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP), Plan Bleu (UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre) and REMPEC (Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean). Broad incumbents are UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization), GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) and Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Circle Economy Foundation is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are WWF Mediterranean and IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN Med).
Does MedWaves have an API?
No public API is recorded for MedWaves.
What industry is MedWaves in?
MedWaves's product category is Environmental Sustainability Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAMAD, Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation & Resilience Programs, with a secondary code of BPAGABAK, Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Its NAICS code is 54162 and its SIC code is 8300.