River Cleanup prevents plastic from entering the oceans by keeping rivers clean. They do this by implementing the Clean River Model (previously the "Ripple Model"). 

Breaking the Plastic Wave is the basis for the Clean River Model and the leading global science-based model for the problem and solutions of plastic pollution.

If the plastics value chain does not change over the next 20 years, the risks to marine species and ecosystems, our climate, our economy, and our communities will become unmanageable.

The consequences feed into another global challenge: under a business-as-usual scenario, plastics could emit 19% of the global greenhouse gas emissions allowed under a 1.5°C scenario by 2040, essentially putting the goal out of reach. Preliminary estimates of the annual social and environmental costs associated with plastic pollution range from $300-600 billion per year, with some estimates above $1.5 trillion per year.


