The circular economy-focused firm releases 2024 impact report, detailing significant environmental and economic outcomes of its investments, initiatives and infrastructure builds.
Closed Loop Partners, a firm at the forefront of building the circular economy, today announces a notable contribution to the transition to the circular economy in its 2024 impact report. As of year-end 2024, the firm has kept nearly 16 billion pounds of materials in circulation and avoided over 25 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, driven by over 90 investments in the circular economy across five continents, 10 countries and 29 U.S. states. As a result of over a decade of work, the firm’s portfolio companies have kept over $5 billion worth of valuable materials and products in circulation to date.1
The firm’s report is released amidst a confluence of shifts in the global economy, increasingly volatile international supply chains, growing support for domestic manufacturing, and only 27 years of median landfill capacity remaining in the U.S.––and less in population centers. Key market drivers have brought the circular economy to the centerpiece for future growth, as capital deployment toward solutions that increase material security and supply chain resilience accelerate. By 2030, it is estimated that the circular economy has the potential to unlock $4.5 trillion in economic value.
Recapping over a decade of transformative progress, Closed Loop Partners’ report spotlights several important regions in the U.S. where the firm has already reached marked density and scale of circular solutions––through investments, in-market activations and infrastructure builds. This includes an electronics recovery corridor in the Northeast, an expansive recycling and manufacturing ecosystem in the Midwest, unprecedented citywide reuse initiatives in cities across the Western U.S., novel circular materials hubs across the Southwest and the largest private recycling and organics processor in the U.S. Closed Loop Partners and its ecosystem of partners have made strides toward a circular economy powered by local communities and supply chains––and positioned for global reach and connection.
“Over 10 years ago, the circular economy was an emerging concept. Today, it is a proven global economic accelerator, replacing the hidden costs of landfilling resources, and unlocking new opportunities for economic growth by recovering materials that are increasing in demand,” said Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners. “We’ve built a platform focused on resource efficiency through market dynamics, delivering long-term value for our investors, businesses, communities and the planet.”
Closed Loop Partners was founded over a decade ago with backing from a number of Fortune 500 corporations, top financial institutions and family offices, and partnerships with leading industry experts and cutting-edge innovators. Given the scale of change required to achieve circularity, the firm’s approach has been grounded in collaboration and on-the-ground work, and accelerated by multiple solutions working alongside each other. The firm has achieved success by developing local circular systems that can be scaled nationally and replicated across the globe.
Today, Closed Loop Partners operates three distinct businesses––Closed Loop Capital Management, an investment group managing private equity, venture capital, and catalytic capital & private credit strategies; the Center for the Circular Economy, an innovation center that works with the world’s most influential organizations to solve pressing material challenges; and Closed Loop Builders, an operating group that incubates, builds and scales circular economy infrastructure, including the largest privately held recycling and organics processing company in the U.S.
Across its platform, Closed Loop Partners has contributed to a structural shift in how industries approach production, consumption and waste. In just a decade, the firm, together with its partners, has achieved several milestones, including:
- 90+ investments in solutions ranging from synthetic biology and regional recycling to advanced material recovery technologies through venture capital, private equity, and catalytic capital & private credit strategies;
- Pioneering reuse initiatives through the Center for the Circular Economy, including the first citywide reuse initiative in the U.S.; and
- 27 facilities and 3 billion pounds of material processed through Circular Services.
As Closed Loop Partners reaches a key point of $5 billion worth of valuable materials and products kept in circulation by portfolio companies since the firm’s inception, the company reaffirms its commitment to building resilient, circular systems that drive sustainable growth. In the coming decade, the firm looks to continue growth across its platform, expanding its investments in the circular economy, partnerships with corporates and leading institutions, and development of circular economy infrastructure across the U.S.
“As we enter the next decade, the intersection of economic opportunity and environmental resilience has never been more critical,” said Ron Gonen, Founder & CEO of Closed Loop Partners. “We are doubling down on our mission to accelerate the transition to a circular economy—one that is profitable, sustainable and built to last.”
1 This represents the market value of materials or products at the point in the value chain where they would have been lost to the linear economy, had a circular business not intervened. It does not include the numerous other ways that the circular economy adds value to the global economy, including jobs, wages, tax revenue and enabling associated businesses. Please see our full report for more information on this quantification.
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