Meta invests in plastic recycling startup MacroCycle's first factory

Meta has agreed to help fund a new plastic recycling factory in the southeastern United States. The factory will be built by MacroCycle, a startup founded in 2023 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MacroCycle uses chemical solvents to clean and recycle plastic waste without high heat. This process produces 80 percent fewer carbon emissions than making new plastic. The first plant will recycle 5,000 tonnes of PET plastic each year. PET is the plastic commonly found in bottles and clothing. Meta will buy environmental certificates that represent the carbon emissions avoided by the recycling process. Meta's carbon footprint has grown because its artificial intelligence systems use large amounts of energy. This is the first time Meta has made this type of agreement.