Today, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
rolled out the full version of its searchable Circular Startup
Index
— designed to help businesses discover startups to facilitate circular
innovation and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
500 startups are already represented across a range of sectors, industries, and
geographies, providing unprecedented visibility of the world’s current circular
business opportunities.
The Index is searchable by geography and industry, and features startups that
are part of the Foundation’s global community. Each has been selected for
incorporating one or more principles of a circular economy — ex: eliminating
waste and pollution, circulating products and materials, regenerating
nature — into its business proposition.
The Foundation created the Index to acknowledge the fundamental role startups
play in the circular transition: startups ignite innovation, which fuels a
circular economy transformation. But many face challenges when it comes to
financing and scaling circular business propositions. The Index will help by
facilitating the pairing of innovation with capital.
“Designing a circular future requires radical innovation to rethink how our
economy works. Thousands of circular startups are already on the case,” says
Ella Hedley, Project
Manager, Startups at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “But they need more support
and investment. So, we created the Circular Startup Index to create visibility
of the breadth of circular startups on the market and help businesses discover
suitable circular solutions.”
Thousands of entrepreneurs around the world are already innovating for a future
in which waste becomes a
resource,
products and materials are in continuous
circulation,
and nature is
regenerated.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation hopes more circular startups will apply to be
part of the Index and businesses will start searching for their ideal
collaboration.
“As a leading provider of sustainable, fiber-based packaging across Europe
and the US, we are keen to work with disruptive businesses that can bring
exciting and innovative circular solutions to DS Smith — helping
us realize our purpose to redefine packaging for a changing world and reach our
industry-leading circular economy ambitions,” says Hugh
McCann, Senior Circular Growth
Manager at DS Smith. “The Circular Startup Index has already expedited our work,
bringing us into contact with potential partners — businesses that are leading
the way and surfacing hundreds of circular solutions. We have already started
working with one of the businesses we found on the Index and are inspired by the
ongoing opportunity to engage with some of the most forward-thinking businesses
in the circularity space.”
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published May 4, 2023 2pm EDT / 11am PDT / 7pm BST / 8pm CEST