Our story
Enaleia started as the first school for professional fishing in Greece to deal with the major problem at that time, the unemployment of young people. During the first educational fishing trips, we realised that many fishers were bycatching plastic that they were throwing back to the sea, stating that:
This is not our problem
This reality prompted Enaleia to launch the Mediterranean CleanUp, one of the most extensive marine cleanups in the Mediterranean. Our target is to have plastic-free oceans, protect marine ecosystems, empower local fishing communities and integrate the collected marine plastic into the circular economy, reassuring that this plastic will not end up in the sea again.
Enaleia International
Enaleia International was established during 2024 in the Netherlands with a role to expand the scope of Enaleia’s mission through dedicated international operations. Enaleia International will enhance our efforts in the Mediterranean by driving impactful cleanup projects beyond Greek borders, designing blockchain solutions and developing sustainable products crafted from plastics collected in these initiatives.
With this new entity, we are taking a significant step toward a cleaner Mediterranean, transforming waste into purpose and reinforcing Enaleia’s commitment to sustainability on a global scale.
Enaleia is an organisation with a vision to make the marine ecosystem sustainable through circular and social economy solutions. Enaleia runs several projects worldwide, from mega cleanup projects to consultancy & research projects.
Working together with fishers towards a sustainable marine ecosystem
Vision: A sustainable marine ecosystem, including humans.
Mission: To solve two problems that correlate to a great extend: Reduction of fish stocks & Marine plastic pollution.
Our main goal is to provide holistic approaches to ocean-related climate challenges engaging all the relevant stakeholders, from local fishing communities to governments. In this way, our projects are aligned with three pillars:
Education
Training professionals and new fishers in sustainable techniques and ensuring higher income for the fishing communities
Mitigation
Implementing mega cleanup projects that involve fishing communities with the capacity to collect thousands of kilos of plastic from the sea daily
Prevention
Preventing further pollution by incentivising the fishers to deliver their used fishing gear frequently, which would end up in the sea or the landfills
MEET THE TEAM
Management Team
LEFTERIS
ARAPAKIS
Co-founder & Director
NEPHELI
GALGOS
International Project Manager
KONSTANTINOS
GIANNAKOPOULOS
Head of Operations & Circular Economy
FANI
SAKELLARIOU
DIONYSIS
KARVELIS
Operations & Partnerships Manager
FOIVOS
PSAROMMATIS
R&D ENGINEER
KONSTANTINOS
STAFYLAS
External CFO
LYDIA
DOUSI
Associate Project Manager
ANNA
ANDRI
ARIS
ANTONOPOULOS
Port Coordinators
Giorgos Antoniou
Stelios Agridopoulos
Marinos Psyxogios
Chalkida Port
Panagiotis Flabouras
Theologos Koulias
Dimitris Tzamousis
Michalis Christou
Michalis Komis
Kefalonia & Ithaca Ports
nIKOS CHARPANTIDIS
Kavala Port
EMMANOUELA LIKAKI
Stefanos katsoulis
Volos Port
Panagiotis Bakas
Thousands of Fishers
