Group Lead, Ved Krishna
When it comes to thinking about sustainability – and more specifically, sustainability goals around plastic reduction, we knew that Sander Defruyt, the Lead of the New Plastics Economy Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation was the person to talk to. Sander took such a systems approach to all
0:00 – Introduction to Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy
Sander leads the New Plastics Economy initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. He explains the programme’s scope: not improving one part of the plastics system, but redesigning the whole thing.
12:00 – What Circular Economy Actually Means in Practice
Circular economy has become a buzzword that’s used to mean almost anything. Sander cuts through that and explains what genuine circularity actually requires in practical terms, and why most companies are still only at the surface of what it would mean for their packaging.
24:00 – Reuse Models and the Business Model Revolution
Switching from selling packaging to leasing or refilling it requires a completely different business model. Sander explains what reuse systems need economically, what consumer behaviour changes matter, and where the early evidence suggests reuse is genuinely viable versus where it’s still theory.
36:00 – The Complexity of Packaging Systems and Why There Is No Perfect Answer
There is no universally right material or packaging format. Context matters: what the product is, how it’s distributed, and what end-of-life infrastructure exists nearby. Sander explains why oversimplified rules about which materials are good or bad get in the way of real progress.
49:00 – Cross-Value Chain Collaboration as the Key Unlock
The most powerful thing the Ellen MacArthur Foundation does is bring competitors into the same room to solve shared infrastructure problems. Sander explains why cross-value-chain collaboration is the lever that brands, converters, and waste operators can’t pull alone.
61:00 – When to Choose Compostables Over Recyclables
Compostables and recyclables each have a role, but choosing the wrong one for a specific context can make things worse. Sander explains the decision framework that should guide material selection and why the infrastructure question has to come first.
73:00 – Designing Packaging for the System, Not Just the Pack
Good packaging design starts with end-of-life, not with the product. Sander explains the design principles the Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes and why starting from the system perspective rather than the pack produces fundamentally different outcomes.
85:00 – The Global Plastics Treaty and What It Could Change
The UN is negotiating a legally binding global plastics treaty, and Sander explains where those negotiations stand, what a binding agreement could actually change, and what he thinks the most important unresolved questions are.
Let’s come together!
