The 2025 impact results of the Galapagos Guardians programme were independently verified by VERSA Expertos en Certificación S.A.S. Corporación Maresa, Grupo AJE and Tesalia CBC received awards for their sustained and outstanding commitment to protecting the country’s ecosystems.
- 286,823.68 pounds of waste recovered during 2025 —the equivalent of 130.37 tonnes— were certified by VERSA Expertos en Certificación S.A.S. under the international PLRS standard (Plastic Leakage Recovery Standard), with auditable traceability for each partner company’s sustainability reporting.
- Galapagos Guardians presented Verified Impact Certificates to the guardian and sponsoring companies that sustained the programme’s operations throughout 2025, and honoured Corporación Maresa, Grupo AJE and Tesalia CBC with awards.
- The gathering brought together companies, communities, grassroots waste pickers and public institutions, alongside the guardians working on the ground across six provinces of the country.
Partner companies, communities and institutions taking part in the Annual Gathering “No ocean, no future”. Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 6 August 2026. Photograph: © Pablo Rodríguez.
Galapagos Guardians, Ichthion’s environmental action programme, presented the verified results of its 2025 operations at the Annual Gathering “No ocean, no future”, held on 6 August 2026 at the Teatro Calderón de la Barca of Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Before the organisations that make up its partner community, the programme presented its Verified Impact Certificates and honoured Corporación Maresa, Grupo AJE and Tesalia CBC with awards for their outstanding contribution to protecting Ecuador’s rivers, oceans and sensitive ecosystems.
For the first time, the gathering brought together in one place the companies that sustain the programme, those involved in delivering it on the ground, representatives of partner communities, and the grassroots waste pickers who work directly at the intervention sites. Over the course of the day, the programme set out the year’s impact figures, explained the external audit process behind them, and opened a space for collaboration around the objectives set for 2026.
The gathering took place at the Teatro Calderón de la Barca, USFQ, with partner companies, communities and institutions in attendance. Photograph: © Pablo Rodríguez.
Independently verified figures
The figures presented cover the period from 1 January to 31 December 2025 and were audited by VERSA Expertos en Certificación S.A.S., an independent technical body specialising in the verification of environmental data against international standards. The process concluded with official certification of the programme’s waste recovery and interception metrics, registered under code VERSA-MP-0431.
As a result, every figure attributed to a partner company is backed by documented traceability and verifiable technical evidence. For the participating organisations, this means the data they include in their sustainability reports and ESG targets rests on an external audit rather than a self-declaration, removing any risk of greenwashing.
In total, during 2025 the Galapagos Guardians programme recovered 286,823.68 pounds of waste —130.37 tonnes— under the PLRS standard (Plastic Leakage Recovery Standard). The certificate was issued and signed by Camilo Montaña on behalf of VERSA.
Andrea Lema, Country Director of Ichthion Ecuador, presenting the programme’s 2025 results. Photograph: © Ichthion / Galapagos Guardians.
How the impact breaks down
The verified figure is built from four areas of work that ran in parallel throughout the year:
- Work with grassroots waste pickers and the collection chain: 215,099.28 pounds (97,676 kilograms), benefiting more than 100 grassroots waste pickers —65% women and 35% men— organised across seven associations.
- Community clean-ups (mingas): 36,903.48 pounds recovered across 51 sessions, with 2,274 volunteers and 12 hours of training, in Manabí, Guayas, Carchi, Pichincha, Esmeraldas and Galápagos.
- ReciclaFest: 19,140 pounds mobilised through this public awareness initiative, delivered in partnership with Laboratorio de Reciclaje.
- River interception technology: 15,680.93 pounds retained before reaching the ocean, using Azure, our patented Ecuadorian technology.
These areas combine two complementary approaches. The first is prevention: stopping waste from reaching water bodies in the first place, through work across the recycling chain and public awareness. The second is mitigation of pollution already present in rivers, through community clean-ups and interception with the Azure system, installed at strategic points, which retains material before it reaches the sea and then collects, sorts and analyses it through Hyperion, our proprietary AI-powered software, to generate data. The programme operates under the ISLAS model and the MACC methodology, and its results align with Sustainable Development Goals 8, 10, 11, 13 and 14.
The results and the audit process were presented by Andrea Lema, Country Director of Ichthion Ecuador, who set out for the partner organisations the traceability behind each area of work and the programme’s objectives for 2026.
Andrea Lema, Country Director of Ichthion Ecuador, speaking at the Annual Gathering “No ocean, no future”. Photograph: © Pablo Rodríguez.
Certificates for guardian and sponsoring companies
On that basis, the programme formally presented its 2025 Impact Certificates to the organisations that make up its community of guardian companies, which maintain a sustained level of involvement in delivering the programme and provide financial backing for its day-to-day operations. Each certificate, endorsed by VERSA, sets out the organisation’s specific contribution to reducing waste in the country’s water bodies and sensitive ecosystems.
Presentation of international recognitions, funding partners and member companies of the Galapagos Guardians Alliance. Photograph: © Ichthion / Galapagos Guardians.
Three exceptional companies
Alongside the certificates, the programme presented awards to three companies for their outstanding participation during 2025:
- Corporación Maresa, for extraordinary commitment sustained throughout the year — a commitment and dedication also carried through its Chery, Dongfeng, Mazda and Jeep brands.
- Grupo AJE, for being the first company to join the project as a guardian.
- Tesalia CBC, for its consistent contribution and collaborative work to protect nature.
Together, the three awards reflect different ways in which the private sector can sustain verifiable environmental protection over time: consistency, the early decision to take on a responsible commitment, and the will to go further.
Voices from the gathering
The Annual Gathering programme brought together corporate and community perspectives. Alongside Andrea Lema, the speakers were Eliana Carmigniani, Sustainability Manager at Grupo AJE; Fabricio Columba, President of the Rumiloma Ancestral Community; and Laura Guanoluisa, Secretary of the Ecuadorian National Network of Waste Pickers (RENAREC).
From the private sector, Grupo AJE’s presentation framed environmental protection as a shared responsibility that only advances when actors work together. From the ground, the contributions from the Ancestral Community and RENAREC focused on the role of communities and grassroots waste pickers, who sustain waste recovery across the country and whose work still deserves wider recognition from Ecuadorian society.
A community coming together for 2026
The day also included a networking session between guardian companies and invited organisations, aimed at strengthening collaboration with the private sector around the objectives set for 2026. The gathering brought together companies from the automotive, beverage, agri-industrial, plastics and metalworking sectors, alongside communities, grassroots waste pickers and public institutions working in water and waste management.
Galapagos Guardians closed by thanking its guardians for their sustained support throughout 2025, reaffirming that the results achieved — verified by VERSA — show that private sector commitment to protecting Ecuador’s rivers, oceans and sensitive ecosystems can be sustained over time and translated into real care for the species that inhabit them. The programme continues to build the path forward and welcomes new organisations to join.
No ocean, no future.
About Galapagos Guardians
Galapagos Guardians is Ichthion’s environmental action programme, bringing together the private sector, communities and grassroots waste pickers to prevent and mitigate waste pollution in Ecuador’s rivers, oceans and sensitive ecosystems. Through river interception technology and a community of partner companies, the programme delivers independently verifiable results and certifies each participating organisation’s contribution.
About VERSA Expertos en Certificación S.A.S.
VERSA Expertos en Certificación S.A.S. is an independent technical body specialising in the verification and audit of environmental data against international standards, with a focus on traceability, accuracy and objectivity in impact measurement.