Dear Friends,

One theme emerged repeatedly this quarter across conversations with changemakers at global forums in Ottawa, New York, New Orleans and São Paulo: collaborative action across the value chain is the only way to drive real and lasting change.

This theme underscores the importance of Delterra’s systems-change approach. In fact, the disconnect between different actors across the circularity value chain is part of what led to Delterra’s founding. To connect the dots.

As we enter the second half of the year (already!), I’m delighted to share some exciting updates with you from our programs, working –

• with cities to build waste management & recycling systems that maximize the quality and quantity of waste recovered;
• with companies to build markets, unlock processing capacity and demand and make value chains more efficient, transparent and ethical;
• and with CPG companies to redesign packaging for less waste and more circularity.

Rethinking Recycling with Cities

As we grow Delterra’s presence in Brazil, we are happy to announce that cities and consortia from all regions of the country have signed up to our public call for participation in Delterra’s Rethinking Recycling program. This means they have a desire to create more circular waste systems and want to work with Delterra to make that a reality through our Circular Cities 3–5-year transformation approach. In partnership with ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability) in Brazil, we will be working with the 20 selected cities to move on to the next phase.

At the ICLEI World Congress, we had fantastic discussions with mayors from around the world about transforming commitments into action. During that week, we also hosted a practical Impact workshop, where we dove into practical solutions to transform waste and recycling systems for millions in Brazil!

We were also thrilled to participate for the first time in La Nación Sustainability event in Buenos Aires alongside global and national companies committed to sustainability.

In collaboration with DEISA, local universities and government, Delterra is piloting an innovative training program in Argentina to professionalize waste plant operators, enhance skills and create a support network for safer and more efficient urban solid waste management.

 Boosting Source Separation with Behavior Change 

Behavioral science is a powerful tool when it comes to tackling environmental challenges and this holds true for boosting recycling participation. By educating and supporting residents and businesses to separate their waste into relevant streams, we increase and improve the supply of recyclable material. Our experience shows that this approach costs less than technology-based alternatives.

In Bali, we are partnering with Badung municipality’s Department of Environment and Forestry (DLHK) and Griya Luhu to deliver a mass education campaign on waste separation at home, involving community events and door-to-door visits as well as digital interventions like a recycling chatbots, social media outreach and community events.

Delterra was invited to share insights at forums including Rare’s BE.Hive summit Washington, D.C. and a Masterclass on Behavioral Science and Nudging in Brazil, which was an opportunity to highlight our pilot project in Guaxupé in partnership with Recicleiros.

Behavior change is equally essential to mitigating methane emissions through separation of organic waste, as we shared in a very interesting webinar convened by the Global Methane Initiative in partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada, International Solid Waste Association and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

By leveraging behavior change, Delterra’s Rethinking Recycling program is acerating the shift to a circular economy in a way that is more cost-effective and sustainable, leading to more positive impact for people and the planet.

Reshaping Markets for Materials

In Buenos Aires, our pilot with Dow and The Alliance to End Plastic Waste has already increased separation and recycling capacity for LDPE flexible plastics by 600 tons per month. The arrival of new machinery will unlock the capacity to recycle an additional 400 tons a month of low-value plastics previously going to landfill.

As part of our work to make value chains more efficient, transparent and ethical, Delterra and GS1 will cohost a New York Climate Week panel session and outcome-focused workshop to collect input from companies on the role of material traceability in meeting sustainability targets and set collective next steps for tracing recycled plastics in the United States.

 Redesigning Packaging for More Circularity 

Today, most fast-moving consumer goods companies are working to incorporate circularity into their packaging strategies. But with dramatic variations in legislation and infrastructure across markets, finding the right strategy—even for a single product—can be a Herculean task. As we highlighted in this Fast Company article, the only way forward is through an industry-wide approach that acknowledges and acts on regional differences.

We also reinforced the need for partnerships and a systems-based approach to move past the existing barriers to sustainable packaging in this piece published on GreenBiz.

Thanks to the feedback of over 100 users of our initial Plastic IQ platform, we have developed the design of Packaging IQ 2.0, a data-based platform to ease packaging sustainability decisions across brands and markets. We are planning an all-day workshop with potential users next quarter to test the design and prioritize features.

To connect with future users and expand the reach of the platform, we jointly organized a dedicated event with Systemiq, SAP and Earth Action alongside the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Ottawa (INC-4) to unite on corporate accountability tools to fight plastic pollution.

On our blog, we share some analysis of the progress made at INC-4, some remaining gaps and the ‘elephant in the negotiating room’ as well as some takeaways emerging from the discussions in Ottawa with partners such as Systemiq, Dow, Earth Action, SAP, PREVENT, WWF, TRP, Mars, Minderoo, AEPW and Amcor.

 Going Further Together

Whether in Argentina, Indonesia, Brazil or global forums, we continue to apply our distinctive problem-solving approach to design and implement innovative, scalable solutions that advance a circular economy and enhance both environmental and social outcomes.

We couldn’t do all of this without the precious support of our partners and I’d like to extend special thanks to our Strategic Partners Amcor, Dow, Mars, Minderoo Foundation and P&G. If any of the above sounds like a circularity initiative your organization could contribute to and benefit from, we’d love to hear from you!

Warm wishes,
Shannon Bouton
President & CEO, Delterra

In the Press 

• FastCompany | The new paradigm for sustainable packaging
• UN Global Plastics Treaty: Industry giants & NGOs unite on plastic accountability tools
• GreenBiz | Sustainably wrapped: Overcoming barriers to circular packaging

More from Delterra

Bold Collaboration on Plastic Pollution | The Next Months Will Define the Next Decade
On the Delterra blog, Mike discusses the progress made towards a global plastics treaty, some remaining gaps and the ‘elephant in the negotiating room’.

Looking back on Earth Month
Every day is Earth Day at Delterra, and we celebrated Earth Month on our social media channels by sharing why our colleagues find working with Delterra and for the planet so energizing.

To see more messages from our colleagues — and tell us about your own hopes for the circular transformation —follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.