Most brands and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) across industries realize they need to adopt sustainable materials like post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) to meet consumer expectations and avoid extended producer responsibility (EPR) and end-of-life vehicle (ELV) auto fees. The reality is that many don’t know where to start or struggle to find reliable suppliers and manage costs under budget in a fragmented opaque market.
Circular was founded to help companies successfully navigate recycled plastic markets by providing the data needed to make smart efficient decisions to update packaging portfolios. To this end, Circular curated and codified over 50,000 technical datasheets from vetted suppliers around the world powered by its proprietary AI tools. Circular’s digital platform allows manufacturers across industries to find the recycled materials they need in a fraction of the time, within budget.
While we can’t share customer names, we can share generic examples of how brands and OEMs worldwide are using Circular's platform to crack the opaque sustainable materials markets.
How the Circular Platform Works
The product is composed of four modules, modeled after a typical sourcing journey:
- Explore: instantly explore the global recycled materials market
- Source: match with vetted suppliers
- Procure: communicate, coordinate lab testing, manage compliance, and build contracts
- Manage: track and trace your supply chain, including measuring freight and emissions in a custom-built platform built for your business
Typically, most brands start by exploring the market to first see if they can find their plastic specs in the market today. The user enters their desired material specs, and Circular’s platform compares those to 50,000 technical records from suppliers worldwide. Users can then analyze which suppliers have offered what material, what the prices for materials are, and what specs are available from whom. Of course, this data is a look at historical records, so it provides direction for whom to connect with and ask if they can provide the material needed and at what price. That stage is conducted as a digital RFQ in the Source module.
“90% of the time we find a supplier that meets spec and quality targets at a price below target budget,” says Shannon Gordon, Circular’s COO and leader of commercial operations. “Circular allows a brand to check market data in a way that wasn’t possible a few years ago. They can then make informed decisions about what to do with that, be it partner with their converter, buy direct, or even go upstream and start to buy feedstock for a soft tolling arrangement with a processor. It’s all possible when you have the data to make smart decisions.”
Furthermore, once a brand has proven a pilot it can evaluate further opportunities across its portfolio. Here are a few examples of Circular’s work in the past few months:
Circular is finding that the myth of “ever-green premiums” in quality recycled plastics can be debunked and that companies can benefit from updating their plastic packaging portfolios.
Not only will companies reach sustainability goals and avoid high EPR and ELV fees, but they will also save real money by ditching virgin plastic for a sustainable alternative. As Circular grows with its customers, recently signing on with Walmart and other big-name brands for material pilots, it is applying its model to other difficult-to-navigate sustainable materials, including recycled plastics, metals, glass, and paper.
Watch this space for more exciting news as we continue to grow and add new pilots for case studies. Moving brands forward toward more sustainable practices is meaningful work, and we anticipate some great partnerships in the new year!
Check out a recent case study that goes deeper into our pilot work.