What is Circularity?
Circularity means using plastics (or any resource) more efficiently by keeping the material in use for as long as possible, getting the most we can from the material during its use, and then recovering it to make new products.
We keep the molecules in play.
This gives a product a circular life, greatly reducing its chances of becoming waste and helping keep it out of our environment.
Circularity is simple, but it requires making sustainable changes.
There are multiple steps that can accelerate our drive toward circularity, such as:
- Choosing materials with a lighter environmental footprint (such as lightweight, efficient plastics).
- Rethinking how products are made, designed and used.
- Designing products that can be reused and/or recycled.
- Capturing materials at the end of their useful life to keep them in play and out of our environment.
- And using conventional and advanced recycling to remake these materials into new materials to be used again and again… reducing and displacing the need to extract limited natural resources.
Circularity is our future.
It’s not a passing fad. It’s the innovative, sustainable way of making things that leads to a cleaner, safer, healthier future. This is our journey. Join us.
What We’re Doing
Progress in Action
Find out how we are changing business models to embrace circularity.
Insights
Find out what’s happening and how we’re making sustainable change.
Advocacy Resources
Want to help make sustainable change? We’re providing helpful resources to lend your hand and raise your voice.
Podcasts
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Episode 61
The Road to Better Auto Recycling
Mark Bacchus of Toyota and Derick Corbett of Pull-A-PartIn this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn sits down with Mark Bacchus of Toyota and Derick Corbett of Pull-A-Part — one of the country’s largest automotive recyclers — to explore what really happens when a vehicle reaches the end of its life. They walk through the full lifecycle of a ‘retired’ car, from dismantling to the shredder, why some materials still end up in a landfill and how we can get closer to 100% recyclability. Mark and Derick make the case that profitability is the key to a fully circular auto industry. Plus, the fun stuff: first cars, favorite snacks and auto necessities.
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Episode 60
The Hidden Life of Packaging
John Avolio, Value Chain Manager, Borouge InternationalIn this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn heads to Chicago and an experiential grocery store to explore how the food and packaging industries are making everyday products more recyclable. Mia sits down with John Avolio of Borouge International and Anita Budiman of Mars Snacking to unpack what really happens to the packaging in your grocery cart. They discuss increasing post-consumer recycled content in packaging, the challenge of recycling food grade plastics, and why an iconic soda brand quietly dropped its signature green bottle. John and Anita explain the science behind mono material design, share the surprising reason dogs and cats help test recycled packaging, and offer simple, practical ways anyone can recycle smarter. Plus, the fun stuff: road-trip snacks, impressive hobbies, and each guest's walkout song.
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Episode 59
Recycling at Red Rocks
Katie Zarachowicz, Sustainability Administrator, Denver Arts & VenuesHost Mia Quinn returns to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado — a venue she grew up visiting — to go behind the scenes of one of the most sustainable concert operations in the country. Mia sits down with Katie Zarachowicz, Sustainability Administrator for Denver Arts & Venues, to find out how Red Rocks consistently diverts 50% of its waste away from the landfill.
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Episode 58
How Salons Are Reducing Waste with SalonCentric’s Ben Thompson
Ben Thompson, Vice President – Sustainability, SalonCentricStep inside the beauty industry's sustainability journey and discover how salons, brands and consumers are working together to keep more materials in use and out of landfills.
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Episode 57
What Happens After You Toss a Bottle in the Recycling Bin?
Laura Stewart, NAPCOR Executive DirectorMost of us toss a plastic bottle into the recycling bin without thinking twice. But where does it actually go? Does recycling really work? And what happens after the truck drives away?
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Episode 56
How Akron Is Reviving American Manufacturing Through Polymer Innovation
Shammas Malik, Mayor of AkronWhat does the future of American manufacturing look like? In Akron, Ohio, it looks like innovation rooted in legacy. In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn sits down with Akron Mayor Shammas Malik to explore how the city is transforming its historic rubber industry into a modern hub for polymers, advanced materials, and sustainable manufacturing.