Dame Ellen MacArthur made yachting history in 2005, when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She remains the UK’s most successful offshore racer ever, having won the Ostar, the Route du Rhum, and finished second in the Vendée Globe. She received the French Legion of Honour... Read more
Dame Ellen MacArthur made yachting history in 2005, when she became the fastest solo sailor to circumnavigate the globe. She remains the UK’s most successful offshore racer ever, having won the Ostar, the Route du Rhum, and finished second in the Vendée Globe. She received the French Legion of Honour from President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008, three years after having been knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Having become acutely aware of the finite nature of the resources on which our linear economy relies, she stepped away from professional sailing to launch the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in 2010.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a global charity accelerating the transition to a circular economy, one that eliminates waste, keeps materials in use, and regenerates nature to create a resilient system that benefits business, people, and the environment.
Launched in 2010, the Foundation works with global leaders to mobilise bold, evidence-based business and policy action, transforming markets through circular economy solutions that are led by design and delivered at scale.
The Foundation is driving implementation of the circular economy at scale to address today’s most pressing challenges. The goal is to deliver systemic change in the areas of critical minerals, fashion and textiles, and plastics and packaging by 2030.
Dame Ellen sat on the European Commission’s Resource Efficiency Platform between 2012 and 2014. In October 2022, she accepted the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, in acknowledgment of the Foundation’s work to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.