About us - Timeline

January 2004

November 2004 - February 2005

Ellen MacArthur becomes the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe

January 2006

2006 - 2009

Ellen travels the world on her journey of learning

September 2010

🎉 Ellen MacArthur Foundation Launched

March 2011

Taking the circular economy into schools with Project Redesign

August 2011

Release of our animation 'Rethinking Progress: the circular economy'

January 2012

Launch in Davos of the first economic report into the circular economy

December 2012

European Commission adopts manifesto

January 2013

Second economic report into the global opportunity of a circular economy

June 2013

Schmidt-MacArthur Fellowship created

June 2013

The world's first circular economy MBA is launched

June 2013

Circular economy experts gather for first Circular Economy 100 Summit

January 2014

A New Dynamic, effective business in a circular economy

October 2014

First Disruptive Innovation Festival launches

May 2015

The Circular Economy: A Wealth of Flows

June 2015

Growth Within outlines benefits of a circular economy, for Europe

June 2015

Delivering the circular economy: A Toolkit for Policymakers

July 2015

Ellen MacArthur presents at TED 2015

January 2016

The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics

January 2016

Achieving Growth Within

January 2016

A New Plastics Economy: Catalysing Action

January 2016

Online Circular Design Guide

February 2016

Intelligent Assets: Unlocking the circular economy

February 2016

A New Dynamic 2: Effective systems in a circular economy

March 2016

Urban BioCycles

May 2016

New Plastics Economy initiative launches

November 2016

A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion's future

May 2017

$2 million New Plastics Economy Innovation Prize launches with HRH The Prince of Wales

April 2018

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WRAP launch the UK Plastics Pact

May 2018

New initiative annouced, Make Fashion Circular

October 2018

A line in the sand: New Plastics Economy Global Commitment launches

January 2019

Cities and Circular Economy for Food

March 2019

New learning programme: From linear to circular

March 2019

Circular economy in cities resource suite

March 2019

#WearNext - Make Fashion Circular joins forces with City of New York and fashion industry to tackle clothing waste

June 2019

New Plastics Economy Reuse book

July 2019

Circular economy learning hub

July 2019

The Jeans Redesign launched

September 2019

Completing the picture: how the circular economy tackles climate change

October 2019

First New Plastics Economy Global Commitment progress report

January 2020

Circulytics - the new digital tool which accurately measures circularity

January 2020

Universal Circular Economy Policy Goals

May 2020

The Circular Economy Show launched

June 2020

‘It’s time to step up, not step back’ — more than 50 global leaders pledge to build back better with the circular economy

June 2020

Covid-19 recovery strategy

August 2020

The Foundation's perspective on Breaking the Plastic Wave

September 2020

Financing the Circular Economy report

October 2020

Solving Plastic Pollution video, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, launched

November 2020

Upstream Innovation Guide published

November 2020

Global Commitment 2020 Progress Report

November 2020

Higher Education Resources

June 2021

EPR for packaging statement published

June 2021

Summit21

July 2021

De-risking paper

August 2021

White paper: A new UN treaty to address plastic pollution

September 2021

The Nature Imperative Biodiversity report

September 2021

The Big Food Redesign study

November 2021

Global Commitment 2021 Progress report

November 2021

Circular Business Models in the Fashion Industry

November 2021

The Foundation at COP26

December 2021

Circular Design for Fashion book published

January 2022

The Foundation obtains official NGO registration in China

February 2022

Jeans Redesign reaches 100 participants

February 2022

Circular public procurement: a framework for cities launched

March 2022

Adoption of a mandate to negotiate a UN treaty on plastic pollution

March 2022

Circular Buildings Toolkit launched

May 2022

£1.25 million received from the Players of People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund Award to launch and deliver an iconic Food Challenge

May 2022

The Foundation Partners with Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI)

June 2022

A new home for circular design is launched

July 2022

Glasgow, Phoenix, and Porto join the Network as Partner Cities

July 2022

Chile's Circular Economy Roadmap

July 2022

Summit 22

August 2022

Circular Design for Fashion book wins a Red Dot Award and 3 other prestigious Awards

September 2022

The Foundation collaborates with CNMI on their Sustainable Fashion Awards

September 2022

Global businesses and NGOs endorse a common vision for an ambitious global plastics treaty

September 2022

The impact of the circular economy on global trade and supply chains

October 2022

Ellen MacArthur receives Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation

November 2022

Global Commitment 2022 Progress Report published

December 2022

Negotiations officially begin for a global plastics treaty

January 2023

Foundation joins forces with WRAP and WEF to tackle plastic pollution

March 2023

From ambition to action: an adaptive strategy for circular design launched

May 2023

Circular Startup Index launched

May 2023

The Big Food Redesign Challenge launched

June 2023

Clear support for a UN treaty to end plastic pollution at INC-2

June 2023

WaterBear collaboration: accelerating the circular economy with impactful storytelling

June 2023

Summit 23

July 2023

The Jeans Redesign Insights report 2021-2023 launched

August 2023

Foundation announces plans to develop a vision for scaling returnable packaging systems

September 2023

CNMI Sustainable Fashion Awards 2023

November 2023

Building a circular supply chain published

December 2023

For the first time, the circular economy is included in the negotiated outcomes at COP28

January 2024

The Big Food Redesign Challenge enters the production phase

April 2024

Big Food Redesign Challenge grants awarded

April 2024

An innovation pathway to decarbonization: circular economy solutions for policymakers and industry in the US published

April 2024

INC-4 negotiations for a global plastics treaty take place in Canada

May 2024

Other Ways of Living film series, produced in collaboration with WaterBear, launched

May 2024

The Fashion ReModel launched

May 2024

Navigating the circular economy reporting landscape published

June 2024

EPR for textiles published

July 2024

Redesigning Food: Behind the scenes video series launched

July 2024

Building Prosperity: Unlocking the potential of a nature-positive, circular economy for Europe published