Introduction
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was formed in 2010 to inspire a generation to re-think, re-design and build a positive future. The Foundation believes that the circular economy provides a coherent framework for systems level re-design and as such offers us an opportunity to harness innovation and creativity to enable a positive, restorative economy.
The Foundation is supported by a group of ‘Founding Partners’ – B&Q, BT, Cisco, National Grid and Renault. Each of these organisations has been instrumental in the initial formation of the Foundation, the instigation of this report and continues to support its activities in education, communications and working as a business catalyst.
McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, provided the overall project management, developed the fact base and delivered the analytics for the report.
In addition to a number of leading academic and industry experts, an extended group of organisations provided input and expertise. This included Caterpillar, Cyberpac, Desso, EPEA, Foresight Group, ISE, Marks & Spencer, Product Life Institute, Ricoh, TurnToo, and Vestas.