Clean up for companies: a hands-on, engaging CSR activity

A hands-on and engaging activity

Surfrider organizes corporate waste collections across France and Europe, in all types of environments: coastal, urban, and river areas. The activity is tailored to your team size and site constraints. It is often paired with awareness stands, either before or during the collection.

• On-foot cleanups: no participant limit
• Kayak cleanups: up to 50 participants
• Possible in cities, on beaches, riverbanks, or near company premises
• Supervised by experienced professionals

A scientific tool based on citizen science

Each collected item is sorted, categorized, and counted. The data is fed into Surfrider Foundation Europe's analysis platform, supporting advocacy work at the European level. Waste collection is both a practical action and a strategic tool, contributing to your broader CSR efforts.
To learn more, read our article: Understanding citizen science through our cleanup actions.

• Identification of major waste types (e.g. cigarette butts, plastic, biomedia)
• Use of results to support policy recommendations
• Contribution to a European data collection protocol network

Why organize a corporate waste collection

Organizing a waste collection within a corporate setting links concrete action, environmental education, and the production of useful environmental data. It helps raise awareness about plastic pollution while actively engaging your team. It can be included in a customized awareness program with training components.

• Confront participants with real-world waste issues
• Create space for informal, educational interaction
• Generate actionable data for CSR reporting
• Foster a collective dynamic around an environmental cause

A concrete and impactful CSR initiative

Organizing a corporate clean-up is a powerful and engaging CSR action that goes beyond traditional formats. It enables your teams to:

• Make invisible waste visible (cigarette butts, plastics, microplastics)
• Understand pollution sources and their impact on the ocean
• Strengthen team pride and shared purpose
• Spark long-term environmental awareness

A team-building activity for all organizations

Whether you're a small company or a large group, the format adapts to your needs:

• Urban, coastal, park, or forest locations
• On foot or by canoe/kayak
• Multi-site options available

This inclusive and rewarding experience fits into various contexts: team-building events, CSR days, sustainability weeks, or corporate seminars.

A corporate awareness tool aligned with your CSR goals

Each clean-up also functions as a measurable awareness tool that supports your CSR and sustainability strategy:

• Detailed data on types of waste collected
• Participant engagement figures
• Total weight of collected waste
• Integration into your internal or external communications

1. Gamification option

Available for on-foot formats, the “gamification” option adds an interactive and engaging layer to your waste collection. Designed for team participation, it transforms the clean-up into a fun, motivating experience accessible to all audiences. It’s ideal for seminars, awareness days, or team-building events, and helps create a dynamic, collaborative atmosphere.

Participants are invited to take on creative challenges such as:

• Collecting 5 unusual waste items
• Finding a second use for an item picked up
• Staging an eco-friendly gesture

Examples of activities included in the gamification module:

• Creative or role-play challenges
• Environmental quizzes
• Brainstorming on waste reduction or reuse ideas
• Creating a chant or slogan about ocean protection

This format boosts team cohesion, informal learning, and hands-on engagement with sustainability. The gamification option also allows for team rankings  and even prizes for the winners.

2. Clean tag option et cigarette butt focus

Temporary messages are spray-painted on the ground using stencils to raise awareness about pollution. This format enhances the visual impact of the clean-up and can be combined with awareness stands.

• Highly visible and impactful clean tags
• Special focus on cigarette butts in high-impact areas
• Subject to municipal authorization

A tangible lever for your CSR strategy

This activity fits into a broader awareness journey that you can co-design with Act!. It effectively complements other formats such as collaborative murals or environmental quizzes.

• Concrete, team-wide engagement
• Format tailored to your CSR objectives
• Easy integration into internal communication
• A clean-up that generates meaningful data

Each session leads to structured data collection: number, type, and weight of waste. This data is analyzed by Surfrider Foundation Europe and shared with relevant authorities. It also enhances your environmental reporting.

• Contribution to a citizen science network
• Valuable data for your sustainability reports
• Possible use in non-financial disclosures

A documented and actionable post-event report

At the end of the activity, you’ll receive a PDF report summarizing the results, field observations, and key recommendations. This document can be used for internal reporting or integrated into your sustainability publications.

• Number of participants
• Waste volume collected
• Waste typologies (e.g. 88.5% of clean-ups report cigarette butts)
• Infographic summary with key figures and proposed solutions
  
  

A high-impact environmental awareness activity

Plastic waste now accounts for 75% of marine pollution. By organizing a clean-up, your teams directly confront this issue. Collecting, sorting, and analyzing waste types helps participants better understand the origins and persistence of pollution in natural environments. This activity is a tangible first step toward ecological transition and can be followed by our environmental training modules to deepen the learning. It also fosters informal, peer-to-peer exchange — ideal for collaborative learning.

Stopping waste at the source: acting in river environments

An estimated 80% of ocean waste originates on land, transported by rivers, streams, and canals. Acting in these areas helps intercept waste before it reaches the sea. That’s why our kayak-based clean-ups are particularly effective, allowing access to zones unreachable on foot. These field activities can be paired with our educational stands, especially in urban settings.

An activity based on a validated scientific protocol

Our clean-ups follow a rigorous protocol developed by Surfrider Foundation Europe under the Ocean Initiatives program, active since 1996. This ensures standardized data collection (types, quantities, geographic spread) and integration into a European database used to inform policy recommendations. On average, more than 16,500 clean-ups are organized annually, with over 40,000 citizens participating. This scientific approach is also a key component of our corporate education programs.

An easy-to-implement activity with strong impact: useful, cohesive, and engaging. Bring purpose to your CSR initiatives—on the ground. Contact us to create your tailor-made corporate clean-up.

1. Is a waste collection just surface cleaning?

No. It is not just about picking up litter. Each collection is a structured awareness-raising activity, guided by a specific protocol: each piece of waste is identified, categorized (plastics, cigarette butts, biomedia, etc.), and entered into a shared database with Surfrider Foundation Europe’s institutional partners. This data supports our European advocacy efforts and is part of a citizen science approach. It can also be paired with an awareness stand to enhance the educational experience.

2. Do these collections have a real environmental impact?

Yes. Beyond the visible action, each collection yields usable results. For example, 2,211 biomedia were found during 10 operations in 2023. These plastic items, originating from water treatment plants, highlight failures in technical systems. By documenting them, we can alert local and European authorities. These findings feed into RSE reports and broader initiatives like our awareness programs.

3. Why include a collection in an RSE strategy?

It’s easily implementable, highly accessible, and produces measurable results (weight, types, behavior). It’s an effective lever to integrate pollution issues into internal practices. It easily fits into an RSE program alongside other formats such as DIY workshops, environmental training, or thematic fresks.

4. What options are available?

Several optional modules enhance the experience:

• Gamification: participants are given challenges, missions, or quizzes during the collection, increasing collective engagement.
• Clean tag: temporary awareness messages painted on the ground, ideal for urban settings.
• Focus on cigarette butts: activities targeting the most common waste, often combined with our cigarette butt awareness stands.

These options can also be paired with a complementary activity to structure a full awareness day.

5. Where can a collection be organized?

Anywhere in France and Europe. Whether in urban areas, coastal zones, parks, canals, or directly at your company site, our teams adapt to your logistical context. Pedestrian collections have no participant limit. Kayak-based collections, supervised by certified instructors, are limited to 50 people (depending on local canoe club capacity). This flexibility allows the activity to be part of an RSE seminar or a well-being week at work.

6. What does the post-operation report include?

A structured and actionable PDF report is provided after each collection. It includes key figures (number of participants, total weight, waste types), visuals, and practical recommendations. This document can be easily integrated into your RSE indicators or sustainability reports. It also serves internal feedback purposes or communication materials.