Veolia, the resource management group, has joined as a core partner the New Plastics Economy initiative, led by the foundation created by yachtswoman and environmental campaigner Ellen MacArthur.
Launched earlier this year, the initiative works around what a report by the MacArthur foundation said was a vision of a global economy “where plastic never becomes waste”, arrived at by applying circular economy principles to global packaging flows.
Antoine Frérot, chairman and chief executive of Veolia, said it would take “a concerted effort”, involving various stakeholders, to make the systemic changes needed to make the move to becoming a circular economy.
“This is especially true for plastics. Veolia believes that the New Plastics Economy initiative provides an excellent platform for this collaboration.”
Ellen MacArthur said the initiative, which is set to last three years, sought to create “a shared sense of direction, to spark a new wave of innovation and to move the plastics value chain, starting with plastic packaging, into a positive spiral of value capture, stronger economic and better environmental outcomes.
“We are delighted to have Veolia, with its resource management expertise, join as a core partner of the initiative,” she added.