CLEVELAND, May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — From food wrappers to shampoo bottles, plastics are all around us, and the demand for them is expected to double in the next 20 years. But, today’s ‘take-make-dispose’ plastics system is broken. Most plastic items are used only once before being discarded, often polluting our environment. In fact, if nothing changes, there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

Innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs around the world are being called upon to help fundamentally rethink the way we use plastics so they don’t become waste in the first place. Today, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with leading global innovation firm NineSigma, announced the launch of the Circular Materials Challenge to make all plastic packaging recyclable. Solution providers are competing for up to $1 million in grants to be shared equally by up to five winners. Winners of the challenge will also have access to The New Plastics Economy Innovation Accelerator, a 12-month program offering exclusive connections with industry experts, commercial guidance, feedback on user and scalability requirements, advice on performance expectations, and entry to innovation labs for testing and development.