How the ‘circular economy’ went from environmentalist dream to marketing buzzword

Can plastics be circular? At a recent conference, companies’ answer was a resounding yes.

At a conference in Seattle this summer, Coca-Cola set up shop in an exhibition hall to show off one of its most recent sustainability initiatives. A six-foot-tall interactive jukebox invited passersby to listen to “recycled records” — seven audio tracks that, according to Coca-Cola, represent the world’s first album made with recordings of the plastic recycling process.