# Press & Coverage — José Manuel Moller

*Last updated 11 May 2026.*

A curated selection of coverage of José Manuel Moller's work — twelve years building Algramo (2013–2025), the 2023 UNEP Champion of the Earth award for Entrepreneurial Vision, and the 2025–2026 launch of Common House and Reuse for all. The pieces below focus on the *model, impact and infrastructure* of household-level circular consumption — how refill systems actually work at scale across six countries and 5,000+ stores — rather than fundraising milestones or duplicate award listings. Coverage spans English and Spanish and includes institutional sources (UN Environment, World Economic Forum, Ashoka), op-eds in UK business press (Business Reporter), international press (TechCrunch, Fast Company, Bloomberg Línea, TriplePundit), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation podcast, and Chile's major outlets (El Mercurio / Emol, La Tercera, BioBioChile, CNN Chile).

## Institutional recognition

- **Yunus Environment Hub** (2026) — [*Open Reuse: A Global Platform to Scale Reuse Models*](https://yunusenvironmenthub.com/open-reuse-a-global-platform-to-scale-reuse-models-2/)
  Announces the launch of an open-source platform — co-led by Common House and the Röchling Foundation — to help cities and companies adopt and scale reuse business models worldwide.

- **UN Environment Programme** (October 2023) — [*José Manuel Moller, 2023 Champion of the Earth — Entrepreneurial Vision*](https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2023/jose-manuel-moller)
  Official laureate page for the United Nations' highest environmental honour. Recognised in the Entrepreneurial Vision category for Algramo's work scaling refill infrastructure across six countries.

- **UN Environment Programme** (October 2023) — [*The Chilean start-up changing our relationship with plastic*](https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/chilean-start-changing-our-relationship-plastic)
  Long-form profile of Algramo's origins, including Moller's experience identifying the "poverty tax" of small-format packaging — up to 60% higher unit prices in low-income neighbourhoods.

- **World Economic Forum** (April 2021) — [*Algramo smart packaging is driving the refill revolution*](https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/04/algramo-reusable-smart-packaging/)
  Covers Algramo's smart-refill model and its partnerships with Unilever and Nestlé to deliver refillable everyday essentials to low-income households.

- **World Economic Forum** — [*Speaker profile*](https://www.weforum.org/people/jose-manuel-moller-962f734b59/)
  Official WEF people profile listing Moller's speaking engagements and contributions.

- **Ashoka** (2013) — [*Fellow profile*](https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/fellow/jose-manuel-moller)
  Ashoka Fellow profile recognising Moller's work transforming consumer goods supply chains for vulnerable Chilean families through Algramo. Elected in 2013.

## International press

- **Bloomberg Línea** (May 2022) — [*"Es imposible cambiar la industria sin los principales actores del mercado"*](https://www.bloomberglinea.com/2022/05/16/ceo-de-algramo-es-imposible-cambiar-la-industria-sin-los-principales-actores-del-mercado/)
  Bloomberg's Latin American arm interviews Moller on why scaling refill requires partnering with the largest consumer-goods players rather than working in parallel to them.

- **TechCrunch** (July 2021) — [*Algramo aims to cut plastic waste with a reusable container ecosystem and $8.5M A round*](https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/28/algramo-aims-to-cut-plastic-waste-with-a-reusable-container-ecosystem-and-8-5m-a-round/)
  Profile of Algramo's IoT-enabled reusable container ecosystem and refill infrastructure model, written at the time of the company's US/UK expansion and $8.5M Series A.

- **Fast Company** (2019) — [*This startup is ditching plastic waste by bringing the refills to you*](https://www.fastcompany.com/90416401/this-startup-is-ditching-plastic-waste-by-bringing-the-refills-to-you)
  Feature on Algramo's dispenser-based refill model, framing the approach as a scalable answer to single-use packaging waste at the neighbourhood-store level.

- **TriplePundit** (2019) — [*In Chile, a Circular Economy Game-Changer Is on the Rise*](https://triplepundit.com/2019/chile-circular-economy-game-changer-rise/)
  Early international coverage framing Algramo as a structural innovation in the Latin American circular economy, predating the global refill movement.

## Op-eds & bylined pieces

- **Business Reporter (UK)** — [*Latin America shows the world: life without single-use was always possible*](https://www.business-reporter.co.uk/sustainability/latin-america-shows-the-world-life-without-single-use-was-always-possible)
  Op-ed by José Manuel Moller in the UK business outlet (distributed with The Times and The Sunday Telegraph), arguing that Latin America's existing reuse systems prove circularity is economically viable when designed affordably rather than as premium "eco-products." Key thesis: *"Reuse is not nostalgia. It is a strategy to build economies that are resilient, fair, and rooted in local value."*

## Podcasts & long-form interviews

- **Ellen MacArthur Foundation** — [*Episode 101: The Circular Economy and Reuse*](https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/podcasts/ep-101-the-circular-economy-and-reuse)
  Podcast conversation with the foundation that defines circular-economy thought leadership globally. Discusses the role of reuse in household consumption and the operational challenges of scaling refill.

- **TEDxUFRO** (November 2014) — [*Algramo, economía familiar*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exvu5OLrGSw)
  TEDx talk in Spanish on Algramo and the economics of household consumption for low-income families.

## Chilean & Spanish-language press

- **La Tercera** (28 October 2025) — [*Common House, la nueva apuesta sostenible de José Manuel Moller tras el fin de Algramo*](https://www.latercera.com/emprendimiento/noticia/common-house-la-nueva-apuesta-sostenible-de-jose-manuel-moller-tras-el-fin-de-algramo/)
  La Tercera's Emprendimiento section covering the launch of Common House — Moller's London-based Zero Waste Studio shifting from consulting to execution. Includes the founding line: *"Hoy sobran estudios, lo que falta es implementación con mirada sistémica."*

- **Emol / El Mercurio** (30 October 2023) — [*Así opera Algramo: La empresa chilena cuyo fundador recibió el máximo premio ambiental de la ONU*](https://www.emol.com/noticias/Economia/2023/10/30/1111466/algramo-empresa-chilena-sustentabilidad.html)
  El Mercurio's digital outlet explaining Algramo's operational model on the day of the Champion of the Earth announcement.

- **CNN Chile** (30 October 2023) — [*ONU premia al emprendedor chileno José Manuel Moller con el máximo galardón ambiental, Campeones de la Tierra 2023*](https://www.cnnchile.com/economia/jose-manuel-moller-premio-medioambiente-onu-algramo_20231030/)
  Chilean national-press coverage of the UN announcement — the most prominent Spanish-language piece on the recognition.

- **BioBioChile** (30 October 2023) — [*Campeones de la Tierra: Empresario chileno gana el premio ambiental más importante de la ONU*](https://www.biobiochile.cl/especial/aqui-tierra/noticias/2023/10/30/campeones-de-la-tierra-empresario-chileno-gana-el-premio-ambiental-mas-importante-de-la-onu.shtml)
  Aqui Tierra environmental section profiling Moller's UN recognition and the model behind Algramo.

- **Emol TV / El Mercurio** (December 2021) — [*"Lo que se está haciendo hoy cae en el marketing, en una acción caritativa"*](https://tv.emol.com/detail/20211222133003638/en-vivo-fundador-y-ceo-de-algramo-aborda-realidad-medioambiental)
  Live interview where Moller challenges corporate greenwashing, arguing that much of today's environmental action is marketing rather than systemic change.

- **Doble Espacio (U. de Chile)** (8 May 2019) — [*"Al empresario le incomoda mucho que exista una compañía con impacto social porque los cuestiona"*](https://doble-espacio.uchile.cl/2019/05/08/jose-manuel-moller-de-algramo-al-empresario-le-incomoda-mucho-que-exista-una-compania-con-impacto-social-porque-los-cuestiona/)
  Long-form journalism-school interview on social entrepreneurship friction and the origin story of Algramo from Moller's student days in La Granja.

- **El Mercurio — Economía y Negocios** (Saturday, 27 April 2019) — [*Algramo vuelve a la carga*](http://www.economiaynegocios.cl/noticias/noticias.asp?id=564950)
  El Mercurio's Saturday Economía y Negocios section profiling Algramo's expansion plans and new partnerships.

- **La Tercera** — [*"La reutilización es la evolución del reciclaje"*](https://www.latercera.com/piensa-digital/noticia/jose-manuel-moller-fundador-algramo-fraccion-queremos-dejar-obsoleto-reciclaje/792812/)
  Top Chilean broadsheet feature framing reuse as the next stage beyond recycling, profiling Algramo and Fracción.