Organisation | Environmental Justice Foundation
Environmental Justice Foundation
A UK-based international NGO that uses investigations, documentary film, and advocacy to protect the natural world and defend the human right to a secure environment, with active campaigns covering oceans, climate, forests and wetlands, plastics, and environmental defenders across 16 country offices worldwide.
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OVERVIEW
Overview
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) is a UK-based international non-profit organisation founded in 2000 by Steve Trent and Juliette Williams, and registered as a charity in England and Wales in 2001 (charity no. 1088128). Headquartered in London, EJF works globally to protect the natural world and defend the human rights of people who depend on it. The organisation operates from 16 country offices — staffed and led by nationals of those countries — spanning Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Liberia, the Philippines, Senegal, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK.
Mission and focus areas
EJF’s mission is to protect people and planet, grounded in the conviction that environmental security is a fundamental human right and that environmental destruction and human injustice are deeply interconnected. Its work spans five core campaign areas: Oceans (protecting marine ecosystems and livelihoods, and combating illegal fishing and shark finning); Climate (driving global action to decarbonise economies, protect natural carbon stores, and secure international protections for climate refugees); Forests and Wetlands (ending the destruction of critical ecosystems such as Brazil’s Pantanal and Canada’s ancient forests); Environmental Defenders (supporting journalists, activists, small-scale fishers, and Indigenous leaders who raise the alarm on threats to nature and their rights); and Plastics (tackling the full lifecycle of plastic pollution and championing the “Right to Reduce”).
Structure and governance
EJF is structured as an international non-profit organisation headed by EJF Charitable Trust, governed by an independent Board of Trustees with expertise spanning ethical business, human rights, and environmental advocacy. An associated entity, Environmental Justice Foundation Limited, operates as a not-for-profit trading company. The organisation is led by its co-founders — Steve Trent (Chief Executive Officer) and Juliette Williams — supported by a Senior Management Team providing strategic, operational, and subject-matter leadership across all programmes. EJF’s decentralised model, with country offices staffed by local nationals, ensures strong local accountability and ownership.
Programs and offerings
EJF delivers impact through a combination of undercover investigations, award-winning documentary films, in-depth research reports, and high-level policy advocacy. The organisation trains and supports local environmental defenders, community advocates, and independent journalists, and collaborates with affected communities, civil society groups, governments, and international institutions to deliver research, legal reform, and grassroots empowerment. EJF’s films have been screened at international film festivals, its reports inform policymakers at international negotiations, and its campaigns have driven concrete legal and regulatory changes across the EU, Asia, West Africa, and beyond.
ORGANISATION TYPE
Issue Focused NGOs & Think Tanks
YEAR ESTABLISHED
2000
LOCATION
Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Rep., Liberia, Philippines, Senegal, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom
RECENTLY PUBLISHED BY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION
Poison plastics: How chemicals in everyday plastics are harming your health
30 September 2026
This Environmental Justice Foundation report examines the health risks associated with chemicals in everyday plastics. It reveals that 92.8% of assessed chemicals pose high risks, including cancer and hormone disruption. The document calls for a Global Plastics Treaty to reduce production and eliminate hazardous substances through a precautionary approach.
EJF's squid fisheries series
8 June 2026
This report series examines global squid fisheries, focusing on governance gaps, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, labour and human rights issues, supply chain transparency, and fisheries management. It analyses risks across key squid fisheries and explores policy and regulatory measures to support more sustainable and accountable fishing practices.