In a groundbreaking effort to combat the global plastic waste crisis, Unilever has joined forces with USAID and EY to launch the CIRCLE Alliance, a $21 million public-private collaboration designed to scale solutions across the plastics value chain. The initiative, announced on August 21, 2024, will focus on reducing plastic use, promoting recycling, and driving innovation in packaging circularity, with a particular emphasis on empowering women and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Rebecca Marmot, Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Officer, highlighted the alliance’s approach: “CIRCLE’s collaborative model of enterprise acceleration – delivered through a mix of grant funding and bespoke business support – will help scale both new and existing solutions for packaging circularity, whether that’s driving collection and recycling, or reuse–refill models.”
The CIRCLE Alliance is set to make a significant impact in regions most affected by plastic pollution, including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. With plans to expand globally, the alliance builds on the successful frameworks established by TRANSFORM, an impact enterprise accelerator led by Unilever, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and EY.
Unilever’s commitment to sustainability is further underscored by its ambitious target of investing €1 billion by 2030 through its Climate & Nature Fund. This fund is dedicated to transforming the way Unilever’s products are produced and disposed of, focusing on driving systemic change and scaling up solutions through strategic partnerships like the CIRCLE Alliance.
Marmot continued, “This initiative is crucial not only for addressing plastic waste but also for supporting many small businesses and entrepreneurs that offer impactful, market-based solutions but are currently too small to work at the scale we need.”
The CIRCLE Alliance is part of a broader strategy to create sustainable, circular economies that not only reduce environmental impact but also generate jobs and improve livelihoods. The alliance particularly emphasizes women’s economic empowerment, aiming to drive inclusive growth while addressing the pressing issue of plastic pollution.
At the launch event during Capitol Hill Ocean Week, USAID Administrator Samantha Power expressed the importance of this collaborative effort: “The CIRCLE Alliance brings together USAID’s experience in empowering women in plastic waste value chains and our long-standing relationships with national and local governments, alongside Unilever’s deep knowledge of plastic supply chains and EY’s expertise in helping businesses grow and thrive. This is a powerful foundation for driving meaningful change.”
Gillian Hinde, EY’s Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, added, “The CIRCLE Alliance represents a bold model of public-private collaboration, responding to the urgent need for collective action to enable a circular economy for plastics across the global south. Together, we aim to support impact entrepreneurs as they innovate and scale solutions to plastic pollution while ensuring that the jobs created respect human rights, particularly for women in the waste sector.”
Unilever’s efforts are already showing results, with the company reducing its virgin plastic use by 18% since 2019 and increasing recycled plastic to 22% of its global portfolio. The CIRCLE Alliance is expected to further these achievements by fostering innovation, scaling impactful solutions, and driving systemic change in the fight against plastic pollution.
