The initiative, part of Unilever’s broader strategy to reduce reliance on virgin plastics, focuses on driving solutions for hard-to-recycle materials, such as sachets, through the CIRCLE Alliance.
The CIRCLE Alliance—short for Catalyzing Inclusive, Resilient, and Circular Local Economies—was co-founded by Unilever, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Ernst & Young Global Ltd (EY).
This collaborative platform provides grant funding to qualified enterprises across the Philippines, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Its goal is to foster innovation in plastic waste collection, processing, and recycling while accelerating the development of circular economies.
The CIRCLE Alliance aims to not only address environmental concerns but also advance women’s economic empowerment and improve local livelihoods through inclusive growth.
“CIRCLE’s enterprise acceleration model—offering a combination of grant funding and bespoke business support—will help scale both new and existing solutions for packaging circularity, from improving collection and recycling to exploring reuse–refill models,” explained Rebecca Marmot, Unilever’s chief sustainability officer.
“Most importantly, it will provide much-needed support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs, many of whom are too small to scale their innovations without assistance.”
Beyond its involvement with the CIRCLE Alliance, Unilever continues its long-running "Misis Walastik" (Wise on Plastic) initiative, a waste collection program targeting Metro Manila and neighboring provinces. This program is focused on reducing plastic pollution through a combination of reduction, circulation, and collaboration efforts.
Rondell Torres, Unilever’s sustainability lead for the Philippines, emphasized the growing urgency of finding collaborative solutions: “With the CIRCLE Alliance, Unilever is helping to build a fair and equitable circular economy for plastics not only in the Philippines but across Southeast Asia.”
Enterprises interested in applying for the CIRCLE Alliance grant have until Oct. 4, 2024, to submit their applications through the designated link.
Unilever hopes the initiative will catalyze impactful change within the plastics value chain and help foster sustainable socioeconomic growth in the region.
