Redesign and new materials
Packaging designed to be recycled, and materials such as fibre and seaweed that replace plastic.
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Technology
Compostable and bio-based plastics (PHA, PLA)
Commercial, with limits
Plastics made from plants or microbes that can break down under the right conditions. Useful for food-soiled items, but only where composting exists.
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Technology
Digital watermarks for packaging
Industrial trials
Invisible codes printed across a package tell sorting cameras what the item is made of and whether it held food, so it can be sorted precisely.
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Organization
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Cowes, United Kingdom | Founded 2010
Leading circular economy think tank; its Global Commitment brings together companies and governments behind shared targets for plastic packaging.
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Technology
Molded plant fiber packaging
Commercial
Trays, bowls, cup lids and clamshells pressed from plant fibre replace foam and rigid plastic in food service and produce packaging.
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Technology
Mono-material and design for recycling
Commercial
Redesigning multilayer pouches, sleeves and caps so a package is made of one recyclable plastic, following recycler design guides.
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Technology
Mycelium packaging
Commercial, niche
Mushroom roots grown around farm waste form protective packaging that replaces polystyrene foam and composts at home.
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Organization
Parley for the Oceans
Works with brands and creatives on its Avoid, Intercept, Redesign strategy, turning intercepted plastic into products.
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Technology
Recycled plastic building materials
Commercial
Mixed and low-value plastic is compressed into boards, blocks and bricks for construction, creating a market for plastic nobody else will buy.
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Organization
Rotary Waste to Resource Hub (Philippines)
Victoria, Laguna, Philippines
A Rotary global grant with Australian and Philippine clubs, led by Dana Asia and Nexuz, turning hard-to-recycle plastic sachets into eco-bricks and pavers in Victoria, Laguna: 7.2 tonnes recycled a year and 12 jobs created.
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Technology
Seaweed-based packaging
Early commercial
Films, coatings and pods made from seaweed replace plastic in sauce sachets, takeaway box linings and flexible wraps, and break down naturally.
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Technology
Tethered caps
Required in the EU since July 2024
Caps that stay attached to drink bottles, so the cap is collected and recycled with the bottle instead of becoming litter.
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Research
The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics
Ellen MacArthur Foundation and World Economic Forum | Ellen MacArthur Foundation | 2016
The report that put the circular economy for plastics on the business agenda, and led to the Global Commitment.
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Technology
Washing machine microfibre filters
Commercial
Filters on washing machine outlets catch synthetic fibres shed by clothing before they reach wastewater and rivers.