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| New Plastics Economy | |
|---|---|
| Name | New Plastics Economy |
| Formation | 2016 |
| Founder | Ellen MacArthur Foundation |
| Type | Initiative |
| Location | Ellen MacArthur Foundation |
| Focus | Circular economy, plastics |
New Plastics Economy
The New Plastics Economy is an initiative launched in 2016 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to redesign the global plastics system through circularity, reuse and innovation. It convenes corporations such as Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Company and Procter & Gamble alongside NGOs like Greenpeace, World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Conservancy and institutions including United Nations Environment Programme, World Economic Forum and the European Commission. The initiative aims to influence policies in jurisdictions from European Union to United States and China while collaborating with research partners such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford and Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s industrial network.
The initiative promotes systemic redesign involving stakeholders such as Unilever, IKEA, H&M Group, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Company, Danone, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Sainsbury's, Walmart, Tesco, Carlsberg Group, L'Oréal, Mars, Incorporated, Heineken N.V., Asda, Marks & Spencer, IKEA Foundation, McKinsey & Company, Accenture, Bain & Company, Ellen MacArthur Foundation partners, and policymakers in European Commission, United Kingdom, China, India and United States. It links design, waste management and recycling systems with research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Stanford University and Tsinghua University to reduce input of virgin polymers produced by firms like ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical Company, Chevron Corporation, BASF SE and SABIC. The program emphasizes collaboration with municipal authorities such as City of London, New York City, Shanghai Municipal Government and Singapore.
Launched in 2016 after a landmark report co-published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Company, the initiative drew attention from international forums including the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, the United Nations General Assembly, the G20 and the UN Environment Assembly. Early allies included corporations like Unilever and Coca-Cola Company, NGOs such as Greenpeace and Ocean Conservancy, and research institutions including University College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Influential events that shaped its trajectory included the 2015 Paris Agreement climate discussions, the 2018 G7 Summit, and national policy shifts such as the European Union’s Single-Use Plastics Directive and regulatory dialogues in California and India.
Core principles mirror circularity concepts advanced by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and academic proponents at University of Oxford and Yale University: eliminate problematic single-use items, innovate packaging design, circulate materials at highest value, and foster reuse and collection systems. Objectives align with international targets set by United Nations Environment Programme, Sustainable Development Goal networks linked to United Nations, and corporate sustainability frameworks applied by Unilever, Nestlé, IKEA, H&M Group and PepsiCo. The initiative promotes standards affecting manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble and petrochemical suppliers like ExxonMobil and BASF SE, and interacts with policy instruments from the European Commission, United Kingdom Government, and municipal governments of New York City and Singapore.
Signature outputs include the 2016 report and follow-up studies co-produced with McKinsey & Company and Ellen MacArthur Foundation collaborators, the Global Commitment with signatories including Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Danone, Mars, Incorporated, L'Oréal and IKEA, and pilot projects with retailers like Walmart, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer. Technical collaborations have involved Dow Chemical Company, BASF SE, SABIC, ExxonMobil and recycling technology firms in pilot sites across Netherlands, India, China and Indonesia. Initiatives have linked to marine pollution programs run by Ocean Conservancy and data partnerships with Ellen MacArthur Foundation sponsors and consultants such as Accenture and McKinsey & Company.
Industry responses varied: multinational producers Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble announced packaging targets and investment in recycled content, while petrochemical firms including ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical Company emphasized advanced recycling pathways. Retailers like Walmart, Tesco and IKEA implemented sourcing standards; fast-moving consumer goods companies engaged in consortiums such as the Global Commitment and collaborations with World Economic Forum platforms. Policy responses included regulatory instruments from the European Commission (Single-Use Plastics Directive), national strategies in United Kingdom and China and municipal bans in San Francisco and Seattle. Multilateral dialogues occurred at the United Nations Environment Programme and the G20.
Analyses by McKinsey & Company, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and academic teams at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Oxford estimate reductions in virgin resin demand for signatory supply chains and potential decreases in marine debris documented by organizations such as Ocean Conservancy and Greenpeace. Economic modeling referenced by International Monetary Fund, World Bank, OECD and World Economic Forum indicates shifts in value retention and cost structures affecting firms like Unilever, Nestlé and petrochemical producers BASF SE and ExxonMobil. Environmental impacts remain debated with case studies in Indonesia, Philippines, Ghana and United Kingdom showing variable outcomes for marine ecosystems, waste collectors, and informal recycling sectors linked with entities such as WasteAid.
Critics from NGOs including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and academics at University of California, Berkeley and University of Oxford argue the initiative insufficiently addresses upstream plastic production driven by corporations like ExxonMobil, Chevron Corporation and Dow Chemical Company and may rely on voluntary commitments rather than enforceable law. Concerns raised by labor and informal-worker representatives related to International Labour Organization dialogues point to impacts on waste picker communities in India, Brazil, and Kenya. Technical challenges include scalability of chemical recycling promoted by firms like BASF SE and uncertainties highlighted by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Imperial College London regarding lifecycle emissions, contamination, and market demand for recycled polymers.
Category:Plastics