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Meta Signs First Environmental Credit Deal With Recycling Startup MacroCycle
Meta will pay MacroCycle for environmental attribute credits tied to avoided emissions, giving the Cambridge, Massachusetts startup revenue to help build its first commercial plastics recycling plant in the U.S.
MacroCycle, a three-year-old company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has developed a process that strips contaminants from plastic waste, producing recycled material it says is more attractive to customers. The startup claims its method generates 80% fewer carbon emissions than virgin PET plastic, the type commonly used in bottles, containers and textiles.
Under the agreement, Meta will purchase rights to those avoided emissions, allowing the company to count the reduction toward its own carbon footprint. Meta's footprint has grown dramatically as a result of the AI boom. A Meta spokesperson confirmed it is the first such deal the company has signed.
Payments for the environmental attribute credits, or EACs, will provide MacroCycle with a revenue stream to help support construction of the new plant. The facility will be built in the U.S.
Meta's interest goes beyond the credits. It hopes to help create a market for low-carbon materials like plastics, which are used in its supply chain for packaging and hardware. Broader access to those materials is expected to help lower the company's overall carbon footprint.