Iron Software Backs People Over Robots in Fight Against Ocean Plastic

Iron Software funds river barrier targeting 200 tonnes of plastic recovery in Bangkok—and the formal jobs that make it work

CHICAGO, July 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Iron Software today announced a partnership with Seven Clean Seas, funding the deployment and year-long operation of a river barrier in Bang Kachao, Thailand. The barrier is part of a system targeting 200 tonnes of plastic recovery this year—intercepting waste before it reaches the Gulf of Thailand.

The partnership reflects a deliberate choice: backing human-led infrastructure over technology-first solutions.

Why Rivers Matter

An estimated 70 percent of ocean plastic enters the sea through rivers. In Thailand, the Chao Phraya River—one of Southeast Asia's major arteries—carries waste from hundreds of miles inland before discharging into the Gulf of Thailand. Communities along its length use plastic daily, and when it rains or winds pick up, that plastic washes into smaller waterways called klongs, which eventually feed the main river.

"If you draw a map of poverty and overlay it with a map of plastic leakage, the same places light up," said Tom Peacock-Mayson, CEO of Seven Clean Seas. "The underlying problem driving plastic pollution is poverty. We can't go into these communities with automated systems that don't generate formal employment. We need to support people—less tech, more people."

The Bang Kachao Project

Bang Kachao is a peninsula in the Chao Phraya River, often called Bangkok's "green lung." Unlike the developed concrete banks elsewhere along the river, Bang Kachao remains predominantly mangrove and forest across its six sub-districts. From satellite imagery, it appears as a pocket of green in an otherwise urban landscape—a popular escape for cyclists and day-trippers seeking respite from the city.

But that same geography makes it a focal point for plastic pollution.

The area's network of klongs channels waste toward the river. Water gates at the end of these klongs hold back water during normal conditions, but when levels rise, the gates open—flushing accumulated plastic directly into the Chao Phraya. Meanwhile, Bang Kachao's extensive mangroves act as a natural filter. At high tide, plastic floats over the tangled root systems. As the tide drops, the debris settles and becomes trapped in the interior, accumulating in dense, inaccessible areas that no machine can clean.

Iron Software's funding will support the manufacturing, installation, and daily operation of a floating river barrier positioned on the interior side of a water gate within Bang Kachao's klong system. The barrier is designed for year-round performance, including monsoon and high-flow conditions, intercepting plastic before it can escape into the main river.

Field teams employed by Seven Clean Seas will conduct daily operations: collecting material from the barrier, logging and weighing recoveries, and reporting data through the organisation's Periscope transparency platform. A separate manual cleanup team—currently 20 people—works daily across Bang Kachao's mangroves, retrieving plastic by hand from areas inaccessible to equipment.

Seven Clean Seas also operates the Hippo in the Chao Phraya itself—a 13-metre solar-powered catamaran with a two-metre conveyor belt that lifts plastic from the water as it floats downstream. The vessel uses floating booms to funnel debris toward its mouth, running entirely on solar energy with no hydrocarbons. Together, the klong barriers, mangrove teams, and river-based Hippo form an integrated system targeting plastic at multiple points before it reaches the ocean.

Formal Employment as Strategy

Seven Clean Seas employs 124 waste collectors formally—with long-term contracts, legal minimum wage, social security, holiday pay, and parental leave. Peacock-Mayson says he doesn't know of another organisation in waste management that does this.

"These frontline workers are treated like white-collar workers," he said. "When someone knows they're going to get paid next week—even if they get sick or break their leg—they make long-term financial decisions. That's what drives systemic change."

The organisation hires locally, meaning collectors come from the same communities where they work. Peacock-Mayson describes this as a "positive feedback loop": the community sees the cleanup happening, and employees become ambassadors for sustainability, transferring knowledge back to their neighbours.

From Debt to Business Owner

The impact of formal employment extends beyond stable wages. Nurati, a collector at Seven Clean Seas' Indonesia project, had spent eight years in indebted labour before joining the organisation. Earning 280 percent more than she had in the informal sector, she cleared her debt within a year.

She didn't stop there. She bought a freezer and started a micro-ice business. When that succeeded, she took out a loan and bought a fishing boat for her brother-in-law. What began as a cleaning job became the foundation for a small family enterprise.

"It's these human stories that we struggle to capture," Peacock-Mayson said. "But they're the real outputs of just paying people properly. When someone knows they'll be paid a meaningful amount, they make long-term financial decisions. That's what drives systemic change—not just in the environment, but in people's lives."

Monks in Recycled Robes

The Bang Kachao project began with an unlikely partnership—and a closed-loop recycling system run by Buddhist monks.

Four years ago, Seven Clean Seas connected with Wat Chak Daeng, a Thai Buddhist temple on the peninsula's southwest coast. The monks had already developed their own circular economy: collecting PET bottles from the local community, sending them for recycling into polyester, dyeing the material orange, and turning it into the robes they wear. The temple's work earned them coverage in Forbes.

When Seven Clean Seas developed the Hippo and sought a location to deploy it in the Chao Phraya, the head monk saw an opportunity. Plastic pollution was accumulating outside the temple. He invited Seven Clean Seas to install the Hippo there.

"That partnership was actually our first MOU," Peacock-Mayson said. "The monks have been doing this work for years. They've got a full recycling facility now. They're aggregating waste from the local community, stopping it before it even gets into the environment, and selling recyclable material back into the industry. It's phenomenal what they've built."

That relationship became the foundation for the broader Bang Kachao project. Seven Clean Seas now holds memoranda of understanding with all six sub-districts of Bang Kachao, as well as Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources.

"You can't create environmental impact without the support of local communities," Peacock-Mayson said. "You've got to work in lockstep with people."

A Decade of Environmental Commitment

The Seven Clean Seas partnership is the latest in a series of environmental commitments from Iron Software. The company has donated more than USD 50,000 to environmental causes up to 2025, including contributions to TeamSeas and 1% for the Planet, alongside its ongoing EcoGrant program.

Iron Software operates a regional office in Thailand, making the Bang Kachao project a local partnership rather than a distant donation.

"This isn't a one-off—it's part of how we operate," said Cameron Rimington, CEO of Iron Software. "We've supported different initiatives, volunteered, and we run an EcoGrant program. We've committed over $50,000 to environmental causes over the years. We have no plans to stop. As the company grows, these commitments grow with it."

Rimington said the partnership's emphasis on people resonated with how Iron Software thinks about its own work.

"We build developer tools, but we've never believed the technology does the work on its own," he said. "Our customers—the developers and engineers who use our libraries—are the ones building brilliant things. We provide the tools, they provide the talent and creativity. Seven Clean Seas operates the same way. They've got river barriers and systems, but it's the 124 people they employ who actually make the difference. That's a philosophy we understand and wanted to support. Give people the right tools and systems and let them drive great things."

Jacob Mellor, Chief Technology Officer at Iron Software, said the partnership stood out precisely because it wasn't chasing technological novelty.

"There's a tendency in the tech industry to fund solutions that look like us—drones, AI, robots," Mellor said. "But when we looked at Seven Clean Seas, we saw an organisation putting people at the centre. That's the whole point. Tech doesn't solve problems. People do. We just try to give them better tools."

Looking Ahead

Peacock-Mayson said the Bang Kachao project has recently expanded, with a new facility and a team of 20 people cleaning mangroves daily. Seven Clean Seas is seeking additional partners to help fund ongoing operations—ideally one partner for every tonne of the 200-tonne target.

"Seven Clean Seas can't fix this problem alone, but with our partners we can make a dent—and more importantly, we can create a playbook for other organisations to follow," he said. "We don't hide anything about how we operate. We want people to replicate what we do. A thousand Seven Clean Seas would make a real difference."

The grant was disbursed in March 2026. Impact reporting will be shared throughout the twelve-month term, and the partnership includes an opportunity for an Iron Software representative to visit the site.

Fast Facts

• 70% of ocean plastic enters through rivers
• Seven Clean Seas employs 124 collectors with formal contracts, minimum wage, social security, and paid leave
• Bang Kachao's mangroves act as Bangkok's natural plastic filter—but can only be cleaned by hand
• 2026 target: 200 tonnes of plastic recovery
• Iron Software environmental commitments to date: USD 50,000+

About Seven Clean Seas

Seven Clean Seas is a global environmental organisation focused on stopping marine plastic pollution at source. Operating across Southeast Asia, it combines river barriers, manual cleanup, and formal employment to deliver measurable impact in high-leakage waterways. The organisation employs 124 collectors formally and maintains transparent reporting through its Periscope platform.

About Iron Software

Iron Software is a global developer tools company providing libraries for document processing and data workflows. Headquartered in Chicago with regional offices including Thailand, the company builds products designed for performance, security, and long-term maintainability. Through its EcoGrant program and ongoing charitable commitments, Iron Software supports initiatives that prioritise practical, systemic environmental impact.

SOURCE Iron Software