Since our founding in 2018, we have grown from a small start-up with limited resources but lots of passion into an international company with over 70 employees. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot.
Yet many of these milestones remain invisible to outsiders. When we rethink things and change processes, it usually happens behind the scenes. In our new Impact Report 2025, we want to make this invisible work visible, share where we stand, what we’ve learned, and what we’re working on.
Our goal: transparency that allows you to independently understand our key activities and complex supply chains. We want to open doors for open dialogue—while also clearly showing where challenges exist and where we encounter limits.
Kim Gerlach, Sustainability & Impact Manager and author of the Impact Report 2025, explains:
"It takes courage for an organization to be vulnerable. To openly show what isn’t yet perfect. But that’s exactly what enables real dialogue—and invites people to be part of our journey."
From Mission to Impact
You may have noticed: the new report is no longer called the Mission Report. We renamed it the Impact Report for several reasons.
The word “mission” sounds a bit like a heroic solo effort. But real change is not heroic—it is measurable. We want to provide you with verifiable data: Greenproofing, i.e., evidence-based, transparent communication.
This is exactly where the term “Impact” comes in. It stands for real data, clear facts, and full transparency.
Showing the Whole Picture
With our revenues, we fund the work of our partner foundation GOT BAG Indonesia, which runs a clean-up and education program on Java. Previous Mission Reports focused primarily on GOT BAG Indonesia’s work, which remains very important.
But it does not show the full picture: real impact is created along the entire value chain. That’s why the Impact Report 2025 goes further. Here are some areas we introduce:
Climate: Measuring to Understand
GOT BAG started with a simple idea: turning plastic waste from coastal areas into something valuable. Protecting the oceans remains our motivation. Early on, we realized that ocean conservation and climate protection are inseparable.
Since 2021, we have been consistently measuring our corporate carbon footprint—from internal processes to the entire supply chain. We’ve identified our biggest emission drivers.
We clearly distinguish between factors we can directly influence and those that are only indirectly controllable. Currently, an internal task force across various teams is developing our climate strategy with concrete reduction targets. We commit to publishing this comprehensive climate protection plan during 2026.
Certifications: More Than Just Seals
2025 has been an intensive year for certifications. We are on the way to re-certification as a B Corp™ and have expanded our portfolio with additional certifications introduced this year. Two standards are particularly important to us:
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Global Recycled Standard (GRS): GRS audits recycled materials and tracks them from source to end product. GOT BAG GmbH is GRS-certified. Absolute precision is required. Since general labeling of entire products is not allowed, our GRS certification always refers to individual product components, such as the main fabric or lining.
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Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP): Since November 2025, GOT BAG GmbH has held the OBP Scope Certificate from the NGO Zero Plastic Oceans. It is an independent proof of our transparent practices and confirms that our internal processes meet the highest traceability requirements. The seal ensures that plastic waste is collected in regions without functioning waste infrastructure before it reaches the ocean—under fair conditions, with full traceability, and complying with social standards along the entire supply chain.
Hannah Knauer, responsible for Supply Chain Certification at GOT BAG, explains:
"Much of my work is invisible to customers. The focus goes far beyond the product itself and includes social audits within the supply chain, where we rely on established standards. When reviewing audit reports, I look closely at the details. When we then change how things are done, it usually happens behind the scenes. But that’s where real impact is created for me."
Acting Collectively: Partnerships & Collaborations
We believe it takes many to make a difference. Beyond our partner foundation GOT BAG Indonesia, we collaborate with inspiring organizations contributing to ocean protection in their own ways. Some partners include:
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Coral Gardeners, restoring coral reefs through reforestation.
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Plastic Fischer, capturing plastics in rivers with barriers before they reach the ocean.
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Team Malizia, using high-performance sailing to collect ocean data and raise global awareness of climate protection.
We also collaborate with artists and designers like Paula Votteler to create unusual access points to complex topics like plastic pollution and translate them into approachable storytelling.
GOT BAG as an Employer
Our understanding of care does not stop at the office door. For the first time, we have included a chapter on our corporate culture and daily work life at GOT BAG.
We see GOT BAG as a meeting space and a living system that continuously evolves, centered around shared purpose.
This includes regularly asking how we can act even more fairly and transparently. For example, we didn’t just close our gender pay gap; we asked why it existed. Result: we reduced the gap from 6.6% in 2024 to -1.1% in 2025.
Our Goals: What’s Coming in 2026?
Founder and Managing Director Benjamin Mandos sums it up:
"As an organization, we always want the honest drive to create projects that benefit the environment, people, and oceans. We never want to lose sight of this sincere care—it is and remains the core of GOT BAG."
What this means: we will publish our climate protection plan with concrete reduction targets developed by an internal task force. We will advance our AI ethics guidelines. We will conduct lifecycle analyses for additional products to make their environmental impacts transparent. And we will enter new collaborations with inspiring partners who share our values.
It is not about perfection—it is about honesty, small steps, and the courage to publicly set goals so we can report transparently in the next report.
Read more in the full Impact Report 2025: Impact Report 2025.
