The Ocean Cleanup Modernises Global Operations with SAP S/4HANA Cloud
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Key Takeaways
⇨ The Ocean Cleanup is leveraging SAP S/4HANA Public Edition to enhance global operations and effectively manage the complexities of its mission to eliminate plastic pollution.
⇨ The phased implementation of SAP S/4HANA allows the organization to prioritize functional improvements while managing risks and budget constraints, aligning with its exponential growth.
⇨ Real-time operational visibility through S/4HANA is essential for improving decision-making and coordination across the organization's distributed teams and international projects.
The Ocean Cleanup is implementing SAP S/4HANA Public Edition to help expand its operations globally in its mission to clean up rivers and oceans of plastic pollution.
The nonprofit organisation, whose mission is to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic and clean up plastic pollution in 90 river cities, has already achieved the removal of over 40 million kilograms of waste and is scaling its activities to reach its 2040 goal.
This accelerated growth required a modern ERP platform, which would support the expansion of the organisation’s processes, projects, and international activities.
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Global Collaboration to Facilitate Scalable Growth
The environmental nonprofit required global cross-collaboration and communication between teams. For instance, the organisation’s financial teams must work closely with fundraisers to ensure donations are allocated effectively across global initiatives. Cross-collaboration between project teams, engineers, and data analysts to align technology, planning, and budgets, also supports the organisation’s core activities across the globe.
“We are growing exponentially, and our internal processes have become increasingly complex, with operations spanning multiple countries,” Aurelia Ferraro, senior partnership manager at The Ocean Cleanup, said. “SAP S/4HANA is the ideal system to manage that complexity,” she added.
Powered by the HANA in-memory database, SAP S/4HANA Cloud provides real-time insights across operations, finance, logistics, and project work. With a single data model, organisations can eliminate silos and coordinate more effectively across countries and functions, essential for globally distributed operations.
The organisation chose a phased implementation process, with the project management and logistics modules that provide insight into The Ocean Cleanup’s complex river and ocean projects being implemented first. The organisation expects to complete the transition to SAP S/4HANA by the end of 2025.
What This Means for Mastering SAP Insiders
Cloud ERP adoption is accelerating as organisations balance growth with resource constraints. The Ocean Cleanup’s phased deployment approach mirrors how enterprises operating with leaner teams can prioritise rapid functional improvements while managing risk and budget.
Public Edition offers a fit-for-purpose model for organisations scaling across borders. With APAC companies increasingly expanding into neighboring markets, SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition provides a standardised platform that simplifies compliance, reduces infrastructure overhead, and ensures consistent processes across countries.
Real-time operational visibility is becoming a competitive differentiator in the region. For organisations managing distributed teams, supply chains, or multi-country projects, S/4HANA’s connected data model supports faster decision-making, stronger accountability, and smoother coordination across diverse markets.
