Ellen MacArthur Foundation - Plastics & Circular Economy

Enriched Foundation · Found: 2026-03-11 11:09

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation accelerates the transition to a circular economy. Its Global Commitment initiative unites over 1,200 organizations behind a common vision for a circular economy for plastics, aiming to eliminate plastic waste and pollution. Focus areas include plastics, critical minerals, and fashion.

Source: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/plastics/overview

Funding Details

Funder

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Funding Goal

Accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastics by uniting businesses, governments, NGOs, and academia behind shared vision and collective action to eliminate plastic waste and pollution.

Funding Amount

No direct financial funding offered. This is a network membership and knowledge-sharing initiative, not a grant program.

How to Apply

Apply to join the Plastics Network via Qualtrics form linked on the overview page. No further application details provided on this page.

Target Region

Global

Contact

Contact page: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/contact-us — No direct contact details provided on this page.

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:15

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Align with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's six-point vision for plastic packaging in a circular economy
• Organization must be willing to commit publicly to circular economy principles for plastics

Project Scope

• Focus must relate to at least one of the three priority barriers: scaling reuse, addressing flexible plastic waste, or developing collection/recycling infrastructure

Required Documents

• Apply via the Plastics Network application form (Qualtrics)

Constraints

• No direct financial grants are distributed — participation is as a network member, not a grant recipient
• Network is primarily oriented toward businesses and large organizations; suitability for small NGOs seeking project funding is limited

Summary

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a leading global advocacy and knowledge organization focused on accelerating the circular economy transition. Its Plastics Mission targets three systemic barriers: scaling reuse, addressing flexible plastic waste, and developing collection and recycling infrastructure. Rather than offering direct grant funding, the foundation operates through knowledge generation, policy influence, and coalition-building. The foundation's primary vehicle is the Global Commitment / Plastics Network — a coalition of 1,200+ organizations aligned around a shared circular economy vision for plastics. Organizations can apply to join this network, which provides access to shared frameworks, research, policy advocacy, and peer learning, but does not distribute financial grants. Separately, 300+ businesses have joined the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty. The 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business sets out a practical roadmap with three pillars: collective advocacy for regulation, collaborative action to overcome shared barriers, and individual business action. The foundation works across sectors globally, engaging with businesses, policymakers, waste pickers, and civil society to mobilize systems-level change. It is important to note that this page does not describe a grant or direct funding mechanism. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a funder of ideas and a catalyst for collective action rather than a traditional grant-making foundation for project applicants. Relevance to small NGOs seeking project financing is therefore limited.

Historical Context

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has operated the Global Commitment initiative since at least 2018, growing to over 1,200 signatory organizations. The 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business was published as a renewed, evidence-based commitment building on a decade of action. The Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty has over 300 members.

Why it was added

Major foundation CE/plastic funding

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