Circular.co

The change of seasons has us EXCITED ?? It feels like a new chapter is being written as we speak while the world moves toward achieving #circularity goals ?? And we have a front-row seat as we partner with a team that speaks the same sustainability language ?? A few weeks ago, our CEO and founder Ian Arthurs pitched Walmart’s Innovations and Surety of Supply teams during Open Call 2024 and walked away with a Golden Ticket ?? What does that mean? Read the whole story and see what’s next for us as a growing company ??

#ICYMI, California is suing Exxon Mobile for misleading the public about #recycling claims, and the SEC fined Keurig since its pods are actually not recyclable in most communities. But it’s not all bad news in the world of plastic ?? There is some progress toward moving to a #circular economy with an updated packaging report from US Plastics Pact Pact and new investments in recycling infrastructure around the world. Shout-out to Blue Polymers for its new recycling facility in Arizona and LyondellBasell for tackling end-of-life auto #plastics with its new closed-loop preparation center in Germany ?? Plus, we got a Golden Ticket from Walmart during Open Call 2024, which we are very excited about and what’s to come ?? Read more about what we’ve been up to in September and the news we are watching ??

Interested in hearing about Circular’s origin story from our CEO and #founder Ian Arthurs? Learn about how we got started, where we are headed, and what we are all about in a recent Pulse 2.0 interview. Thanks Amit Chowdhry for the time! “I love seeing concepts become software that provides clear value and solves real-world problems… our initial database and software [is used] to source new suppliers of industrial-scale recycled plastic resin at a price below the virgin (oil-based) competition, and all at ‘internet speed.’ When we saw the reaction and genuine (pleasant) surprise, that was when we said, oh wow, we have something special here!” - Ian Arthurs, Circular CEO Read more below ????

We won’t solve the world’s #plastic problem without working together with the chemical industry. With our investment earlier this year from Braskem, and its substantial work in sustainable chemicals and #circularity, we are getting closer ?? With that in mind, we recently attended the #WorldChemicalForum in Houston, TX, put on by Chemical Market Analytics by OPIS, A Dow Jones Company, to learn more about the future of the chemical industry and how we can help petchem companies transition to sustainable materials. ?? While there, we heard from leaders in the field and started relationships for future partnerships, including Citrine Informatics, which uses AI to help chemical engineers develop product recipes; Stina Inc., which tracks the recycling plastics ecosystem; Robin Waters at Opis, who reports on recycled plastics; and Yvonne Van Der Laan and Jennifer Jewson at LyondellBassell, who are creating solutions in the global chemistry industry for everyday #sustainable living ? Thanks for connecting! ??

From the US potentially supporting a reduction in plastic production under the Global Plastics Treaty to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Nissan and Honda using #recycled plastic, sustainable thinking is on the rise ?? Check out what other stories we are watching in our monthly newsletter ???

Another state, another #EPR bill. The US is matching Europe’s progress with solutions on how to deal with the world’s plastic problem??? Michigan just introduced an extended producer responsibility bill that sets #recycling and material reduction targets and requires producers to pay to help build packaging reduction programs??? Every state’s EPR law is different (just ask our resident expert Anne-Titia Bové). Michigan is also requiring brands to reimburse local governments for the full cost of recycling packaging. If Michigan HB 5902 passes, it will bring the tally to six states with EPR legislation on the books including Minnesota, California, Colorado, Maine, and Oregon. Still others have proposed bills including Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington??? EPR schemes are coming, folks. How can companies prepare? Start looking into recycled material alternatives for product packaging! Read more about the bill here: https://lnkd.in/gCGehmqQ

July was not necessarily a quiet month in terms of #plastic news or company updates ??? What were we watching this month? *Big companies are backing away from advanced recycling, while others double down on the technology ?? *Procurement teams that leverage digital tools to make data-driven decisions will help their companies reach #sustainability goals? ?? *The global plastic recycling market from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and automotive waste is expected to nearly double from $49B in 2024 to $96B over the next decade ?? We’ve also been busy this month developing case studies about how we’ve helped companies find cost savings while transitioning to using #PCR. See what we’ve been thinking about this month in our newsletter and subscribe ??

Auto brands must meet EU end-of-life vehicle (ELV) requirements to include 25% post-consumer recycled (#PCR) plastic in their vehicles by 2030??? Recently, two well-known Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) came to Circular with large, complicated portfolios with over 40 different types of virgin #plastic. Circular’s platform and proprietary #AI tools helped these OEMs: ??? Transition to PCR ??? Save money (roughly 2% on raw material cost) ??? Create true #circularity by recycling vehicles ??? Fulfill European ELV requirements Want to learn more? Check out our latest case study??? https://lnkd.in/gZhXn-vJ

A large global food and beverage company came to Circular for help finding #sustainable materials to update their packaging from virgin plastic to #recycledplastic ?? Leveraging over 50k technical data sheets from a network of 10k global suppliers, our AI tools found them the right material and cut costs by 5%. ?? Interested in learning about our digital platform and how it helps manufacturers successfully transition to sustainable materials? Read the case study ??

Sustainability is trending in the right direction this month??? From big waste companies building their own recycling facilities to the chemical industry finally nodding to the importance of #recycledmaterials??? But there is always more progress to be made??? Check out our June newsletter to get our take on what's happening in the recycling industry and see what we've been up to????