Five years ago, everwave removed its very first kilogram of waste from a river. Today, that number has grown to more than 2 million kilograms. A milestone worth celebrating, reflecting on, and using as motivation for the work ahead.
A Vision for Cleaner Waterways
Every great journey starts with a vision. For everwave, it was the vision of cleaner rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Faced with the growing plastic pollution crisis affecting marine ecosystems worldwide, the founding team decided not to stand by and watch. Instead, they set out to create a solution.
In December 2018, Pacific Garbage Screening was founded, marking the beginning of what would later become everwave.
During these early years, the focus was on research and development. Before waste could be collected, the team needed to understand the problem. Data was analyzed, river systems were studied, and scientific foundations were established to identify the most effective intervention points.
One key finding quickly emerged: rivers are one of the main pathways through which waste reaches the ocean. Once plastic enters marine environments, recovering it becomes extremely difficult. To stop ocean plastic pollution, action must start upstream.
This insight shifted the company's focus from oceans to rivers. In November 2020, that shift was reflected in a new name: everwave.
Two years after the initial idea, the brand had been launched, the strategy was clear, and the team was ready to turn vision into action.
Launching the First Cleanup Projects
On 4 August 2020, everwave reached a major milestone: the company collected its first kilogram of waste from a river.
After two years of preparation, the vision became reality at the Hron River in Slovakia. From the very beginning, strong partners joined the mission, including Mastercard, Landmarken, and Kühne+Nagel, all of whom continue to support everwave today.
To scale operations and work independently, everwave needed its own waste collection vessel. Developing one proved challenging, as the boat would become the heart of future projects and required a custom-built design tailored to river cleanup operations.
Working alongside a German boat builder, everwave developed its first vessel, which was soon deployed in cleanup projects across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, and Egypt throughout 2021.
At the same time, everwave began attracting increasing attention in Germany. In October 2021, the company received the KfW Gründerpreis NRW, recognizing innovative and successful entrepreneurial ideas.
Creating Long-Term Impact
Initially, everwave's boats operated on short-term projects lasting up to three months. While effective, these temporary missions had limitations.
To create sustainable, long-lasting impact, everwave decided to establish its first permanent project location.
The choice was deliberate. The Mekong River, one of Asia's most important waterways, supports millions of people but also transports vast amounts of plastic waste toward the ocean.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, everwave launched its first long-term cleanup site. The project combined river cleanup operations with local waste management infrastructure, including a Zero-Waste Center for sorting and processing collected materials. A local team was also established to operate and maintain the site.
With one vessel permanently based in Cambodia, the fleet expanded further, bringing two additional boats into service.
Introducing Plastic Credits
As the organization grew, a new challenge emerged: ensuring long-term financing for cleanup operations, infrastructure, and local jobs.
To address this, everwave introduced Plastic Credits in autumn 2022.
The concept is straightforward: companies purchase Plastic Credits, and for every credit purchased, everwave removes one kilogram of waste from rivers and waterways.
This model enables the long-term financing of cleanup projects, local infrastructure, and employment opportunities. Because each Plastic Credit is directly linked to a specific project location and an actual quantity of collected waste, companies can create measurable and transparent environmental impact.
Reaching One Million Kilograms
The impact of this approach quickly became visible.
By August 2023, everwave had collected more than one million kilograms of waste from rivers worldwide.
To expand its impact further, the organization launched a second long-term project in Bangkok, Thailand, along the Chao Phraya River.
Innovation Through Artificial Intelligence
Today, technology plays an increasingly important role in everwave's operations.
Together with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), everwave developed the PlasticObs+ research project. The initiative uses drones and other aerial technologies to detect, analyze, and better understand waste accumulation in rivers and waterways.
These AI-supported systems help identify pollution hotspots and improve the efficiency of cleanup operations.
Two Million Kilograms of Waste Collected
As everwave continued to grow, so did its international presence.
The company joined the German Accelerator in Singapore, successfully acquiring its first customers in Singapore and Hong Kong. Meanwhile, partnerships around the world helped strengthen existing projects and increase environmental impact.
In 2025, another major milestone followed. After a successful pilot project in 2024, everwave opened its third permanent cleanup site along the Drin River in northern Albania.
Then, on 9 April 2025, everwave surpassed an extraordinary achievement: More than 2 million kilograms of waste collected from rivers and waterways worldwide.
Since its founding, everwave has not only removed 2 million kilograms of waste from the environment but has also created more than 30 jobs across its project locations.
To put the scale into perspective: if all the plastic bottles collected were placed end to end, they would stretch from Munich to Cambodia and back again.
The Journey Continues
A lot has happened between the first kilogram of waste and the two-million-kilogram milestone.
What started as a vision has grown into an international movement that combines cleanup operations, local infrastructure development, innovative technology, and strong partnerships.
Yet this milestone is not the finish line.
The mission continues, driven by the same goal that inspired everwave from the beginning:
Cleaner rivers. Less waste. A better future for generations to come.