Net Impact Announces Third Circular Plastics Challenge

Net Impact Announces Third Circular Plastics Challenge

Net Impact, an Oakland, California-based nonprofit, has announced it third Circular Plastics Challenge with a case prompt that encourages emerging business professionals to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to maximize circularity in the plastics value chain.

With the support of Batesville, Indiana-based packaging technology provider Hillenbrand Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, the competition calls for participants to learn about the modern plastics value chain while developing AI-supported business models to maximize circularity at any point within the value chain (preconsumer, during consumer use or postconsumer). Net Impact says final submissions are due in April, and in June, five finalist teams will present their concepts virtually to a panel of judges that includes plastics industry and sustainability leaders. The first-place team will be awarded $5,000, followed by $2,500 for second place and $1,000 for third place.

“We love this program because it enables our responsible business-oriented community to think critically about how to leverage the latest technology like AI for sustainable applications in the corporate context,” Net Impact CEO Karen Johns says. “With so much growth around artificial intelligence, this will be a wonderful opportunity for our community to learn and explore this topic in tangible terms.”

Net Impact and Hillenbrand developed the competition in 2022, and its first iteration was held in 2023. Last year, Net Impact says finalists presented concepts during a virtual showcase at the NPE2024 tradeshow in Orlando—an event, produced by the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) that drew more than 50,000 attendees from more than 110 countries. Net Impact says that in the program’s first two years, teams representing dozens of countries have submitted more than 115 proposals.

Net Impact says it facilitates the competition by bringing together its global network of social impact and sustainability leaders to address the challenge. With more than 130,000 members across more than 300 chapters at colleges, universities and local communities globally, the nonprofit says it aims to address social challenges, protect the environment, develop new concepts and approaches and leverage the tools of business toward the greater good.

“Plastics are essential to today’s global economy, and it is important that we continue to advance the material through the entire value chain,” says Hillenbrand President and CEO Kim Ryan. “As we incorporate AI into this year’s competition, I believe we can unlock new possibilities in advancing plastics circularity. This partnership with The Coca-Cola Company and Net Impact continues to foster innovation and engage the next generation of the plastics industry.”

In the competition’s first year, participants were asked to design solutions to keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment by using upstream innovation to reduce plastic leakage. The winning team was Ashaya, an India-based startup focused on turning postconsumer multilayer plastics, found in products such as potato chip bags, into new products like recycled sunglasses.

In 2024, participants were tasked with designing concepts to increase the supply of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). The winning team, Strong Bottle, was based at Boise State University and proposed a redesign of bottles intended to prevent flattening during the recycling process, which in turn could result in a 15 percent increase in PET collected during the recycling process.

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