Cecilia Named To Fast Company’s 2026 World Changing Ideas List
Newark, NJ. June 16, 2026 — Cecilia has been named an honoree of Fast Company’s 2026 World Changing Ideas Awards. This annual recognition honors bold and transformative efforts that tackle the world’s most pressing issues, from sustainability initiatives and AI developments to ambitious pursuits of social equity that are helping mold the world. Cecilia was recognized for its circular carbon from plastic waste.
This year’s awards highlight 191 outstanding projects across 14 categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters evaluated more than 1,500 entries based on their impact, design, scalability, and ingenuity.
Fast Company writer David Salazar wrote, “Among the 2026 World Changing Ideas, there is no shortage of projects that are taking a thoughtful or clever approach to resource use. Some get creative—by, say, turning an invasive starfish into a deicer, or adapting oil and gasdrilling to advance geothermal energy. Others are rethinking how things considered waste can be repurposed, like Curio and Cecilia.”
Fast Company’s Summer 2026 issue (on newsstands June 23) will feature select award winners working on solutions that include geothermal energy, privacy-first cell plans, municipal grocery stores, and more.
ABOUT CECILIA
Cecilia is a circular materials company that transforms hard-to-recycle plastics into high-performance nanocarbon additives. The company’s modular, microwave-assisted reactor system enables local conversion of plastic waste into valuable advanced materials for industrial applications. Inspired by the legacy of astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Cecilia works toward a future where plastic waste is no longer a burden and is reimagined as a new set of circular materials.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.
