What Ocean Plastics Leadership Network does

Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN), founded in 2019 and headquartered in New York, is a private, for-profit membership-based leadership network whose stated mission is to inform balanced debates and inspire inclusive and effective collaboration on plastic pollution. The organization was created following a 2019 expedition to the Atlantic Garbage Patch and operates as a neutral convener bringing together historically oppositional stakeholders — consumer goods and packaging companies (Colgate-Palmolive, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever, Dow, Ball, Mondelez), environmental NGOs (WWF, Ocean Conservancy, 5Gyres), recyclers (TerraCycle, The Recycling Partnership), technology providers (SAP), and government bodies — to build consensus on circular economy policy. Core programs include CIRCLE (U.S. Circular Policy Leadership Network, launched 2023), the Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues (launched 2021 with WWF and Greenpeace to support UN treaty negotiations), Country Dialogues (running in 6 countries plus the UK since 2022), and a publications library of expedition and treaty reports.

OPLN's product surface is non-software: it consists of in-person expeditionary summits, virtual plenaries, treaty dialogue sessions, and published reports and guides, with an Events Repository serving as the documented record of 79 activations since inception. There is no proprietary technology stack, API, or mobile application; the technical footprint is limited to a Sanity-based CMS website, an Airtable-backed express-interest flow for membership, and a LinkedIn/Twitter/X presence. The platform is invite-only for CIRCLE legislators and select experts, and broadly accessible to industry and NGO members through an annual membership contribution model; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The UK Government/Defra provides match funding for the UK National Treaty Dialogues, renewed through INC-5 in October 2023.

The business model is membership subscription revenue with supplementary event contributions, government grant/match funding, and earned media around treaty processes. The visible team is four people (CEO Marta Fiscina, Founder Dave Ford, Technical Program Lead Rachel Ryan, Network Development Senior Manager George Herdeg). OPLN has reached 400+ member organizations, engaged 75+ US state legislators in 2024, and supported 35+ UN member states through INC negotiations; no external institutional investor, parent, or acquisition activity is disclosed in available materials.

Name

Ocean Plastics Leadership Network

Legal name

Ocean Plastics Leadership Network

Website

https://opln.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN) is a private, New York-based membership network founded in 2019 that convenes consumer goods companies, NGOs, recyclers, and government bodies as a neutral convener on circular economy policy, operating the CIRCLE US program, Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues supporting the UN negotiation process, and Country Dialogues in seven countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: OPLN operates as a membership-based leadership network with annual contributions. Membership provides access to virtual plenaries for each program track and entry to in-person events, with additional costs potentially associated with certain events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

OPLN is a member-driven convening and policy education network for the ocean plastics crisis. It serves organizations across the plastics value chain — industry, brand owners, NGOs, academia, and government — through an annual membership program, convening forums (CIRCLE, Global Treaty Dialogues), and knowledge products including an Events Repository and Reports and Guides.

Product overview

OPLN is a membership-based leadership network offering a suite of interconnected programs for multi-stakeholder education on circular policy. The core offering consists of CIRCLE (the U.S. Circular Policy Leadership Network), a multi-stakeholder learning platform focused on U.S. circular policy; Global Treaty Dialogues, supporting international plastic pollution treaty negotiations; an Events Repository containing technical expeditions, virtual plenaries, and convenings; and a collection of Reports & Guides documenting policy insights. The programs are designed to build capacity for circular economy approaches through experiential learning, stakeholder dialogue, and practical policy readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CIRCLE (U.S. Circular Policy Leadership Network): A multi-stakeholder learning platform designed to keep multi-stakeholder leadership connected to the real-time evolution of U.S. circular policy, focusing on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), deposit return systems, and reuse and refill models.
• Global Treaty Dialogues

Products and services

• OPLN Membership Program Annual organizational membership granting access to OPLN convenings, CIRCLE and Global Treaty Dialogues, the Events Repository, Reports and Guides, and peer engagement across industry, NGOs, academia and government.
• CIRCLE (U.S. Circular Policy Leadership Network) A U.S.-focused convening and policy education track for members engaging with U.S. federal and state legislation on plastics, packaging and circular economy, including dialogue sessions and educational programming on pending and existing U.S. policy.
• Global Treaty Dialogues A convening and educational track dedicated to the UN global plastics treaty negotiations, supporting members seeking to understand and engage with the UN INC process and international policy developments on plastics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000+ participants engaged through 9 Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues sessions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Government (Defra - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2022OPLN launched the UK National Treaty Dialogues for Plastic Pollution in partnership with the UK Government ahead of INC-1 in Uruguay. The program brings together UK plastics ecosystem stakeholders to inform UK positions in UN Plastics Treaty negotiations. In October 2023, OPLN received ministerial approval for continuation through INC-5 with match funding from the UK government.
• Greenpeace and WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021Together with Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund, OPLN launched the Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues which brought together leaders from all over the world to discuss the opportunities of a global plastics treaty ahead of the UNEA 5.2 decision to start negotiations in March 2022. Totaled 9 global sessions with more than 1000 participants.
• SAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAP is a long-term partner to OPLN and has benefited from learning, collaborating, and co-innovating within the Network. SAP's Responsible Design and Production solutions help businesses navigate new regulations and support circular economy transitions. SAP provides technology perspective supporting treaty implementation at scale.
• Recycle BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProducer Responsibility Organization for packaging EPR in British Columbia, Canada. OPLN's CIRCLE program engages with Recycle BC to provide participants with insights into governance, system financing, operational roles, and technology innovations in EPR implementation.
• Encorp Pacific / Return-ItcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeverage container deposit return system operator for British Columbia, Canada. CIRCLE expeditions engage with Return-It to explore DRS governance, financing, and consumer access point innovations.
• The Recycling PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member organization focused on improving recycling systems. Active participant in OPLN programming and EPR policy discussions.
• US Plastics PactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member organization working to unify plastics stakeholders toward circular economy goals. Active participant in OPLN ecosystem.
• Closed Loop PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member organization focused on investing in the circular economy. Active participant in OPLN ecosystem.
• WWFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of Global Plastics Treaty Dialogues. Active network member engaged in circular policy discussions.
• Ocean ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member and active participant in OPLN programming and Global Treaty Dialogues.
• TerraCycleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member and recycling innovator participating in OPLN ecosystem and policy discussions.
• The Sustainability ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork member organization working on sustainable product supply chains. Active in OPLN ecosystem.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)minorOthersOPLN serves as informal multi-stakeholder forum following UN Global Plastics Treaty negotiations. INC Secretariat leadership (Jyoti Mathur-Filipp) has participated in OPLN's INC Digest events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ellen MacArthur Foundation: A leading circular economy foundation convening governments, businesses, and academics around circular systems. Highly comparable to OPLN in focus (circular economy policy), convening format, and multi-stakeholder network model, though larger in scale and brand recognition.
• Closed Loop Partners: Investment firm and innovation platform dedicated to the circular economy; an active OPLN network member. Comparable in catalyzing circular systems through cross-sector convening, with a complementary finance-led model.
• US Plastics Pact: U.S.-based multi-stakeholder initiative aligned with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact, working on packaging circularity targets. Directly comparable convening role for U.S. plastic/packaging stakeholders; OPLN is a network member.
• SYSTEMIQ: Systems-change firm building partnerships around plastics, climate, and nature; founded by former McKinsey partners. Comparable in multi-stakeholder convening around plastic pollution and circular economy transitions, with stronger consulting/services commercialization.
• Plastic Pollution Coalition: Global alliance of organizations working to end plastic pollution through advocacy and education. Comparable in mission and multi-stakeholder mobilization for plastics policy; OPLN's industry-inclusive model differs from its stricter advocacy stance.
• The Recycling Partnership: Nonprofit improving recycling systems in the U.S. through public-private collaboration. Comparable as a circular-economy convening organization engaging municipalities and brands; OPLN lists it as a network member.
• 5 Gyres Institute: Research and advocacy organization focused on plastic pollution solutions and policy. Directly comparable as an OPLN network member working on marine plastic pollution with both research outputs and convening.

Broad incumbents

• World Economic Forum: Global multi-stakeholder convening platform hosting cross-industry working groups on plastics, oceans, and climate. Comparable to OPLN's neutral convener role for environmental policy but operates at much broader scope across all global issues.
• CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project): Global environmental disclosure system convening investors, companies, and policymakers around climate/water/forestry disclosure. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder convening-and-data platform for environmental policy, with more mature commercial disclosure infrastructure.

Emerging players

• BSR (Business for Social Responsibility): Sustainability-focused network and consultancy engaging member companies on ESG/sustainability strategy. Comparable in member-based model and convening role for corporate sustainability, with stronger consulting-service monetization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/O_P_L_N
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ocean-plastics-leadership-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ocean Plastics Leadership Network