A UK charity based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight that works with businesses, governments and schools to speed up the move to a circular economy.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a charity that promotes the circular economy, which is a way of running the economy so that things are designed to last, be reused and be recycled, instead of being used once and thrown away. Its own pages describe three jobs: developing and spreading the idea through research, courses and teaching resources; bringing together businesses, governments, cities and universities, including through a members' Network; and helping to put solutions into practice at scale, with a current focus on plastics, food, fashion, finance and cities. It is probably best known for its work on plastic packaging, including the New Plastics Economy report of 2016 and the Global Commitment that followed in 2018.
The foundation was founded on 23 June 2009 and launched publicly on 2 September 2010 at the Science Museum in London. Dame Ellen MacArthur, who broke the world record for sailing solo around the world in 2005, retired from racing in September 2010 to focus on it. She has linked the idea to her sailing life: a boat carries limited supplies, and the world also has limited resources. The foundation's stated mission is "to accelerate the transition to a circular economy". Its charitable objectives focus on protecting the natural environment, using natural resources prudently and educating the public.
The foundation is based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, off the south coast of England, and most of its staff work there. Its jobs page says smaller teams sit in Belgium, Brazil, China and the United States. The Global Commitment, which it runs with the United Nations Environment Programme, has brought together more than 1,000 organisations according to a 2025 announcement of its chief executive's departure. For a charity on an island, this is a notable base: much of the world's work on the circular economy is directed from the Solent.
On people and culture, the jobs page says the foundation employs about 175 people from 23 nationalities, and describes its approach with the phrase "We do things differently", combining big-picture thinking, careful analysis and storytelling. Andrew Morlet joined in 2013 to set up the business Network, became chief executive in 2014 and announced in 2024 that he would step down in March 2025. These are the organisation's own descriptions. The page does not describe working arrangements in detail.
The foundation advertises roles of the kind you would expect from a research and policy charity. Examples seen on job boards include research analyst and programme manager posts in its plastics work, and its pages describe teams working on learning and education, business and finance engagement, communications and publishing. People with interests in design, economics, science, geography, communication or policy might find a fit. The foundation's own jobs pages are the place to check for current openings.
Website: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
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