Circular economy: partnership deepens between Groupe Renault and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Groupe Renault and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have deepened their ground-breaking partnership and embarked on a new series of commitments to the circular economy. Both partners believe in the benefits of transitioning from a linear economic model to a circular economy in order to preserve natural resources and ecosystems and secure the long-term future for companies like Renault.

“We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. We have been working together for seven years and are now exploring how to embed circular economy in our international operations. Some of Renault’s future projects include studies into extending our European remanufacturing model into other regions of the world, such as India, Brazil, Morocco and China, as well as continuing its deployment over the lifecycle of electric vehicle batteries and new mobility solutions,” commented Jean-Philippe Hermine, Groupe Renault’s Vice President of Strategic Environmental Planning.

"Renault was involved right from the beginning of the Foundation’s journey - when the circular economy was just emerging as a coherent framework. Since then, Renault has put a circular economy approach into practice, demonstrating the economic rationale through many examples. I am delighted that Renault will be continuing this journey with us," says Dame Ellen MacArthur, Founder, Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

A special partnership to promote the circular economy

Renault first joined forces with Ellen MacArthur in 2007 and their partnership has provided a framework for the company’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint across every stage of the lifecycle by increasingly embracing the circular economy. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with Renault as a founding partner.

Renault experts engage regularly in dialogue with members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to seek out new technical solutions, processes and circular economic models, and to liaise on strategic planning and the Groupe’s rollout of the Competitive Circular Economy programme, as well as raising awareness among employees and shareholders.

Renault shares with the Foundation its broad-based manufacturing and remanufacturing expertise and case studies to assist with promoting the circular economy among economic decision-makers. Renault contributes to the macro-economic reports produced by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation containing economic research by consulting firm McKinsey & Company. These reports calculate the potential benefits of a transition to a circular economy and show how the model can adapt to the realities of a global economy.

About Groupe Renault
Renault has been making cars since 1898. Groupe Renault today is an international group that sold more than 3.2 million vehicles through 12,700 outlets in 127 countries in 2016. It employs more than 120,000 people and operates 36 manufacturing facilities worldwide. To address the major technological challenges of the future and pursue profitable growth, Renault has four primary focuses: international development; complementary coverage across its three brands (Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung Motors); electric vehicles; and its unique alliance with Nissan. With its new Formula One team and front-line profile in Formula E, Renault practises motor sport as a powerful force behind innovation and brand recognition.

About the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was created in 2010 to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The Foundation works across five areas: insight and analysis, business and government, education and training, systemic initiatives, and communication. With its Knowledge Partners (Arup, IDEO, McKinsey & Co., and SYSTEMIQ), and supported by Core Philanthropic Funder (SUN), the Foundation works to quantify the economic opportunity of a circular model and to develop approaches for capturing its value. The Foundation collaborates with its Global Partners (Danone, Google, H&M, Intesa Sanpaolo, NIKE, Inc., Philips, Renault, Unilever), and its CE100 network (businesses, universities, emerging innovators, governments, cities and affiliate organisations), to build capacity, explore collaboration opportunities and to develop circular business initiatives. By establishing platforms such as the New Plastics Economy initiative, the Foundation works to transform key material flows, applying a global, cross-sectoral, cross value chain approach that aims to effect systems change. Learn more at www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org .