Unilever, in partnership with USAID and EY, has launched the CIRCLE Alliance, a groundbreaking public–private initiative designed to combat plastic pollution. This $21 million collaboration focuses on scaling solutions to reduce plastic use and waste, with a particular emphasis on supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses within the plastics value chain. The Alliance also aims to empower women, improve livelihoods, and foster the development of circular economies.
Packaging plays a crucial role in Unilever’s business, ensuring products are safely transported and delivered to consumers. However, packaging is also a significant contributor to plastic pollution, a pressing environmental challenge that Unilever is actively addressing as part of its Growth Action Plan. The company has made notable strides, including an 18% reduction in virgin plastic use since 2019 and an increase in recycled plastic to 22% of its global portfolio.
The CIRCLE Alliance builds on these efforts, offering grant funding and tailored business support to accelerate the development of circular packaging solutions. Initial efforts will focus on India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, with plans to expand to other regions by engaging new partners and securing additional funding.
Rebecca Marmot, Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Officer, highlighted the importance of this initiative: “CIRCLE’s collaborative model of enterprise acceleration will help scale both new and existing solutions for packaging circularity, whether through recycling, reuse–refill models, or other innovative approaches. This initiative will particularly benefit small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that provide impactful, market-based solutions but lack the scale needed to make a significant impact.”
In addition to CIRCLE, Unilever is investing in Circulate Capital’s Ocean Fund to enhance infrastructure and investment in regions like South and Southeast Asia and Latin America, where ocean plastic pollution is particularly severe. The company’s commitment includes a €1 billion ($1.1 billion) investment through its Climate & Nature Fund by 2030, aimed at driving systemic change in product lifecycle management.
During the launch at Capitol Hill Ocean Week, USAID Administrator Samantha Power emphasized the strength of the Alliance: “The CIRCLE Alliance leverages USAID’s experience in empowering women in plastic waste value chains, Unilever’s extensive knowledge of plastic supply chains, and EY’s expertise in business growth. This partnership forms a solid foundation for tackling plastic pollution.”
Gillian Hinde, EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The CIRCLE Alliance is a bold model of public–private collaboration, addressing the urgent need for collective action to establish a circular economy for plastics in the global south. By supporting impact entrepreneurs, we aim to foster innovation, create jobs, and protect the human rights of waste workers, particularly women.
