ProjectTogether
Impact Sector
Economy & Finance
Type of Strategy
Innovate
Project Location
Germany
Entry Funding
In a nutshell
A staggering two-thirds of Germany’s plastics are destroyed rather than recycled. It’s clear we must phase out single use plastics, and enter a more circular economy. Sustainable and regenerative by design, this economic model is based on sharing, repairing, and reusing for as long as possible. The “Circular Futures” program supports businesses working towards a sustainable future, and connects stakeholders to collaborate and innovate together. Aiming to eliminate single use plastics, they begin with an ambitious goal: reforming Germany’s takeaway food industry by pushing consumer choices in the right direction.
Climate Problem
Plastics are everywhere – polluting our oceans, killing marine life and often ending up in our food. As it stands, recycling is not a cure-all solution: in Germany, 67 per cent of plastic waste is not recycled, but destroyed. Both the production and destruction of plastics is incredibly carbon intensive, producing 850 million tonnes of greenhouse gases globally every year.
Implementing a ‘circular economy’ would mean reducing waste to a minimum, by sharing, reusing, repairing, and recycling products for as long as possible. It could cut more than 68 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. But to move closer to this future, we must support circular businesses to succeed.
If we continue with business as usual, global plastic production is expected to double by 2040. It’s clear we have to move away from single use plastics. However, the innovative businesses aiming to challenge our reliance on plastics face additional obstacles to their growth. Problems including a lack of regulation, infrastructure and funding either slow their progress, or stop it altogether. As a result, these businesses take on far greater risk of failure than non-circular businesses.
Project Solution
Through its Circular Futures program, ProjectTogether has sourced over 100 businesses and start-ups accelerating the transition towards a circular economy and society. They help individual businesses to solve their problems, increase their impact, and scale up. They’re now increasing their focus on collective action.
Circular Futures has created a working strategic alliance with an ambitious goal: standardising reusable packaging for takeaway foods. The alliance has identified six systemic challenges to addressing this, including consumers not choosing reusable packaging when ordering takeaway. To encourage these consumers to make green choices, this project introduces ‘green nudges’ at scale with over one thousand partner restaurants, fast food franchises and bakeries throughout Germany.
This work is so significant that the German Federal Ministry for the Environment has officially agreed to be the alliance’s patron. Additionally, this project creates a digital platform with the purpose of advancing the progress of reusable packaging, and facilitating collaboration between its diverse stakeholders.
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“With Circular Futures, we are creating a platform where stakeholders from all areas of society can come together, identify common levers and put concrete solutions into practice. With all relevant forces included, we can take the steps necessary for bold change more quickly.”
- Operational since 2015
- Team of 31 employees
- Headquarters in Berlin, Germany
About the organisation
With its mission to initiate and guide Open Social Innovation processes, ProjectTogether paves the way for transformation. The organisation brings together stakeholders from civil society, politics, business, and science to try out solutions that will change the world. In 2018, ProjectTogether won the European Enterprise Promotion Award for Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship. They have made impressive progress from the beginning – supporting over 2000 initiatives through 10 programmes, and involving over 50,000 people.
How your donation helps
In January 2023, Germany introduced an environmental law that obliges restaurants to offer a reusable packaging option for their take-away food. Unfortunately, sampling to date shows that the law is neither sufficiently implemented nor enforced by local authorities.
The German Association for the Environment will support this project with 300.000 Euros – but this additional funding is dependent on the alliance equally matching this sum themselves. With your support, we can reach this funding goal, and put circular solutions into practice across a vast community of stakeholders.
The alliance around reusable packaging helps thousands of businesses to introduce reusable packaging or improve their practices.
An accessible digital hub is created, which will help anchor new circular solutions into existing structures, and create frameworks for future projects. Through the hub, stakeholders will collaborate on advancing the use of reusable packaging.
The alliance studies the barriers to implementation of reusable packaging at the municipality level, working with council workers to best understand. These lessons will be shared widely and applied to municipalities across Germany.
Why we chose the project
"Imagine a world where single-use plastics are a thing of the past. Change has to start somewhere, and this project will make Germany the place. ProjectTogether gathers solutions, troubleshoots them with the community and forges new cooperation for breakthroughs. By organising collective action, their project could be a crucial step to becoming a low-waste, circular society."
Dr. Felicitas von Peter
Founder and Managing Partner, Active Philanthropy
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Seed
KEY SUPPORTER
Grow
PROJECT PATRON
Flourish
CLIMATE CHAMPION
Receive bi-annual reports on how your funded project is progressing
Access to exclusive networks or new research, tailored to your funding choice
Meet the people behind the project, ask your questions, and build connection (online)
Book an exchange with our Active team to discuss latest trends in climate funding (online)
Meet the project team in person to see firsthand how your donation made a difference
Meet with other donors we've carefully selected to match your needs and interests
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ProjectTogether
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