Bertie Stephens

Bertie Stephens is the CEO and co-founder of Clean Planet Group, a pioneering environmental technology company that’s tackling one of the world’s most pressing issues: plastic waste. Through its flagship ecoPlants, Clean Planet transforms non-recyclable plastics into high-demand circular products, reducing carbon emissions and supporting the circular economy. The Group includes Clean Planet Energy, Clean Planet Technologies, and the Clean Planet Foundation – a not-for-profit division driving education, awareness and action aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and also publisher of Ellie Ment.

Bertie is an entrepreneur, environmentalist and now author whose career has spanned film, tech, and sustainability. Supported by the Clean Planet Foundation, he brings his creative and scientific passions together in his debut children’s novel, Ellie Ment and the Material Matter — a fast-paced adventure grounded in real-world environmental challenges.

Under Bertie’s leadership, Clean Planet Energy has raised hundreds of millions in capital to build their ecoPlant facilities, and entered joint ventures across the UK, US, Europe, and beyond. Clean Planet Foundation’s projects have reached international recognition, with its work featured on the BBC and even the official UN COP magazine. In 2023, the Foundation’s documentary Behind The Trees swept major film awards, including the New York International Film Awards and Cannes World Film Festival.

Bertie’s entrepreneurial journey began over a decade ago as co-founder and CEO of the demand-driven marketplace Flubit.com. Named one of the UK’s most valuable venture-backed startups and acquired in 2018 by blockchain group MonetaryUnit, Flubit evolved into a global crypto-integrated eCommerce platform. His inclusion in Debrett’s 500 Most Influential People in Britain in 2016 recognised not just his business impact, but also his mentorship and innovative thinking.

Bertie is also the editor of HAPSIE, the comic book for budding eco-warriors, which now has 10,000 print readers in the UK and beyond, and you’ll find some of the characters from the Ellie Ment book popping up

Alongside running companies, Bertie has long been immersed in the creative arts. He co-founded MWS Media, a video production agency, and produced multiple independent films – including The Sweet Shop, starring Gemma Atkinson and Harry Potter alumnus Matthew Lewis (who he met when he acted as his performance double on the last 3 Harry Potter movies!). His first feature, Roanoke: The Lost Colony, was distributed as an educational tool across all 50 US states.

With Ellie Ment and the Material Matter, Bertie blends his background in science, media, and entrepreneurship to create a compelling, imaginative series grounded in real-world challenges. Ellie’s story is one of youthful idealism challenging adult pragmatism – a familiar dynamic for Bertie, who has spent his career pushing boundaries and disrupting convention.

When not writing or building climate solutions, Bertie continues to advise and invest in creative and tech ventures, including SmartEye Productions (video), FeastHQ (late-night food delivery), and Reach OnAir (online radio).

When Bertie’s not writing about Elemental Bracers and science going bang in the early hours of the morning, he spends his working days as co-founder and CEO of the Clean Planet Group. Together with his team, they’re building advanced recycling facilities to tackle the plastic waste crisis, developing breakthrough technologies, and launching diverse environmental projects via the Clean Planet Foundation. Stephens now lives between England and Czechia with his wife and almost-three-year-old, Oskar – who, incidentally, was very happy to hear his big green balloon made it into Ellie’s story