In a step towards global sustainability, Unilever unveiled a public-private partnership to tackle plastic waste and promote packaging circularity on a global scale. This initiative, known as the CIRCLE Alliance, represents a collaboration between Unilever, USAID, and EY, all committed to driving transformative change in the plastics value chain.
Launched in June this year, the CIRCLE Alliance is backed by a $21 million fund dedicated to empowering small businesses and entrepreneurs who are spearheading innovative solutions in the fight against plastic pollution. With a sharp focus on reducing plastic use, improving waste management, and fostering circular economies, the alliance is particularly committed to uplifting women working in the informal waste sector across the global south.
Rebecca Marmot, Unilever's Chief Sustainability Officer, expressed her optimism about the initiative, highlighting CIRCLE's collaborative model of enterprise acceleration. “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,” Marmot said. “Crucially, it will support many small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs that offer impactful, market-based solutions but are currently too small to work at the scale we need.”
