ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark

CVR 39854082

Guided by our slogan "Tavaha” (Tag vare på havet -Take care of the Ocean) Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark’s (NOW) vision is to shape a global community where all individuals, both in Denmark and across the world, feel inspired and empowered to take care of the ocean.

Our mission is to motivate everyone to care for the ocean by involving them in meaningful, hands-on actions, promoting knowledge sharing, and fostering a community of ocean watchers with a shared commitment to protect our marine environment.

• Activation: We empower individuals to actively protect the ocean.

• Knowledge Sharing: We give the ocean a voice.

• Community: We foster a community of ocean watchers.

In the following sections are presented NOW’s achievements within each focus area in 2024. The annual report also includes NOW’s financial statements 2024 and an overview of financial partnerships.

Activation

In 2024, Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark proudly hosted six cleanup events, bringing together 90 dedicated Ocean Watchers. Together, we removed an impressive 71.1 kg of waste from our shores—each piece a step toward a cleaner, healthier ocean.

From spring through autumn, our volunteers took action at sites including Svanemøllen, Valby Strand, Dragør, and Refshaleøen. These events—held in connection with national initiatives and local festivals—combined hands-on impact with education and community spirit, reinforcing our commitment to protecting marine environments through collective effort.

The graph below presents the detailed waste data collected during our 2024 cleanups, offering insights into the types and quantities of marine litter removed by our volunteers.

In 2024, the Activation Team at Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark participated in a range of events designed to engage the public, raise awareness, and encourage community involvement in ocean conservation. These activities played a key role in expanding our network and fostering a shared sense of responsibility for the marine environment.

In April, we joined Volunteer Night 2024 in Copenhagen, connecting with potential volunteers and sustainability-focused organizations. In May, we contributed to European Maritime Day in Svendborg, hosting a cleanup and engaging in discussions on marine protection alongside national and international partners.

Later in the year, our presence at events such as International Citizen Days, the Thoughts for Future Festival, and both the Ocean Film Festival and Banff Mountain Film Festival allowed us to reach wider audiences and promote ocean awareness through dialogue, education, and storytelling.

In 2024, Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark published an article based on our Transatlantic Expedition, focusing on ocean pollution in the Atlantic. This research contributes to the ongoing efforts to understand and address marine pollution.

Although no new expeditions were undertaken this year, the data and insights from past expeditions continue to inform our work. Read the full article here:

ScienceDirect article

Knowledge sharing 

In 2024 one of the main focus areas for the Knowledge Sharing team was to advertise the NOW School Materials “TAVAHA booklet” to primary schools across Denmark. Within three days NOW received orders from more than 100 schools, counting 3000 copies of the TAVAHA booklet in total. Therefore the handling and distribution of these orders has been a priority of the Knowledge Sharing team. 

In the second part of 2024 focus has been on one of the core activities of the Knowledge Sharing team; writing new fact articles and posts for the News blog. 

Moreover, attending conferences, talks and other events where the vision of NOW could be communicated via face-to-face interactions have been a priority as well in 2024.    

Community and online communications

In terms of its online presence, NOW’s audience increased in 2024. NOW’s website had 8.1K unique visitors, corresponding to an increase of 28% compared to 2023 and 18K page views, a 17% increase.

NOW’s social media channels have also shown a positive audience increase, with 7% more followers on Facebook and 6% more followers on Instagram, currently at 2,224 and 2,145 respectively. NOW’s new LinkedIn account currently has 342 followers, a 101% increase compared to 2023, reflecting the increased focus that was put on building up LinkedIn activity in 2024. 

In 2024, NOW continued with 'Did you know?' posts, as well as blog posts and knowledge articles, in collaboration with NOW’s biologists, and celebrated international days connected to the oceans and the environment, e.g. Earth Day, World Oceans Day and World Cleanup Day. NOW also continued to post regularly about the cleanups that were held throughout 2024, sharing cleanup information, updates, photos from the cleanups, and data about the trash collected. A new campaign featuring monthly positive ocean news was introduced, and other campaigns aimed at inspiring small positive actions were continued or featured for the first time, such as Ocean Heroes, sustainable Tuesday tips, and sustainable Christmas tips. NOW also continued to share other news about the organisation and its activities, such as volunteer opportunities, NOW’s first academically published article and its school booklet aimed at Danish elementary school children.

In 2024, NOW also introduced a newsletter with the aim of ensuring that anyone interested is informed about planned cleanups over email. The newsletter currently has 96 subscribers.

With support from Ocean Outdoor Denmark and the Drops in the Ocean campaign, NOW shot a short video presenting the organisation, which was shown in shopping centres all over Denmark. Last but not least, NOW again participated with its own booth in the International Citizen Days, hosted by the municipality of Copenhagen to engage the expat community in volunteering, as well as at International House Copenhagen’s Volunteer Night.

Partnerships & support

In 2024, Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark (NOW) continued to build on its strong foundation of corporate partnerships, maintaining valued collaborations with GreenSpeak, Organic Basics (via Beam Impact), Økofamilien, and Ocean Outdoor Denmark. We were also excited to welcome DataCopy as a new partner this year, an addition that has already proven to be a successful and meaningful collaboration.

We are deeply grateful for the continued support and engagement from our corporate partners. Their financial contributions provide a vital foundation for our work, enabling us to carry out our mission to protect the ocean and inspire more people to take action.

Since joining 1% for the Planet and Benevity in 2021, NOW has also received one-time and recurring donations from companies and individuals who share our passion for ocean conservation. In 2024, for example, the Danish brand Elsk made a generous contribution through 1% for the Planet, donating clothing to our volunteers as a heartfelt thank you for their time and effort in protecting the ocean. These platforms have helped expand our reach and engage more members of the business community in the environmental movement, support that continues to grow each year.

Beyond corporate support, we are proud of our ongoing partnerships with both NGO and academic institutions. These collaborations, spanning local and international organizations, continue to strengthen NOW’s impact and outreach, enabling us to share knowledge, create synergies, and amplify the voices working for a cleaner, healthier ocean.

Financial statements

Nordic Ocean Watch Denmark has closed the year 2024 with a profit of DKK 140,973, with a 252% increase when compared to DKK 40,056 in 2023.

The organisation has received donations for DKK 203,018, equal to a 125% increase compared to 2023. Donations were almost exclusively received from partners, and in residual part from other donors, particularly through the Benevity community impact fund.

Operating expenses were DKK 61,535 in 2024, an increase of 22% compared to DKK 50,327 in 2023. The development was largely led by Information & Education expenses, exclusively attributable to the printing of the school children book that the team produced during the year. The rest of the expense categories recorded significant savings, particularly Marketing & Online branding expenses and Social events expenses, due to the reduced frequency of the teambuilding “Tavahangs" events. Cleanup expenses decreased by 25%, and still mainly related to car rentals expenses to move the cleanup equipment to the various locations. Administration expenses increased by 26% compared to 2023, and mainly attributable to expenses borne at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and other team meetings.

No financial expenses incurred, while there was an extraordinary expense for a fine during the transport by car of the cleanup equipment.

The financial position has improved in 2024, by 30%, with a balance of Cash at bank of DKK 609,394 as of December 31, 2024, compared to DKK 468,421 as of December 31, 2023. Consistently with 2023, also in 2024 NOW does not have any liability in its balance sheet. Equity is exclusively composed of profit for the period and retained earnings generated by the profit of 2023.