What is the Global Clean Up?
Ocean plastic is on track to triple by 2060 and it’s not just beaches we need to clean. From riverbanks to fields and forests, plastic and rubbish makes its way into the ocean in many different ways. We can help to stop it.
The Global Clean Up encourages anyone in superyachting – individuals, teams, companies – to pledge to clear at least one bag of litter (per person) from their local area. From beaches and oceanfronts to waterways and rivers, the campaign hopes to make a global impact on the ever-present problem of water pollution.
Now in its fourth year, the 2025 edition of the Global Clean Up saw 489 volunteers take part across 40 locations, with support from 14 organisations, five yachts including AQUILA and BATON ROUGE, and even one school. This growing involvement shows just how widely the campaign is resonating across the industry and beyond.
From New York to Montenegro, London to Devon, over the last few years we’ve seen incredible action from the yachting community and beyond. Together, we’ve cleared hundreds of bags of litter and helped protect the waters we all love.
For 2026, we’re taking the initiative even further. In partnership with Vripack, the clean up period is expanding from the usual two weeks to a full two months. Running from 3 April to World Ocean’s Day on 8 June, this extended window aims to engage even more people – especially over Easter – and encourage sustained action for the next generation.
Building on Vripack’s work with US-based North Sails, all clean up bags have been repurposed from old sails into durable waste bins and collapsible beach clean bags. Each bag features a QR code so participants can easily log their collections, with a campaign-long competition running to track who collects the most.
This is the fourth time that Burgess has spearheaded the movement, which forms part of Burgess' ESG campaign and – so far – has raised over £200k so far in the name of ocean conservation.
‘Ocean plastic pollution is on track to triple by 2060, and it’s not just beaches we need to clean. This is our chance to bring teams, family and friends together ahead of the summer season and realise the impact we can all have collectively.'
Want to take part?
Interested parties can either get in touch with Burgess to join regional offices in their organised beach cleans, or register with Vripack to receive bags directly and host their own. Alternatively, sign up to our newsletter below to stay in the loop and be the first to hear about the 2026 Clean Up and other Burgess news.
