Who can apply? COVID represents a foot on the accelerator rather than a hand on the steering wheel. As a consumer your experience is undeniably better from this versus the typical purchasing experience, whether choosing a new bike or a refurbished model. Companies like Raylo are addressing that by designing their business model around the philosophy of recycling your phone, not just removing the friction that exists for consumers looking to move on old devices but doing so with a high-quality customer experience. The EU-funded CICERONE project is paving the way for closer cooperation among circular economy research and innovation programme owners (POs) – the various public authorities across Europe that are currently the main source of funding for projects in this area. Cabinet Secretary Announces Initiative at Conference 2016-10-11 16:08:03 Funding for Circular Economy Projects in Scotland The Circular Economy investment fund has been launched in Scotland by the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Land Reform Roseanna to accelerate the shift to a circular economy within their regions. “The circular economy is critical to ensuring that the world can continue to develop within its means while preserving its resources. In the two years The Circulars has been running, the program has Read more [...], To create a profitable company in the green economy, it needs more than just a good idea. For information and support on how to finance circular economy in an urban context, visit the website Circular City Funding Guide. Funding in a circular economy Whilst the term ‘ESG’ only joined the lexicon in the mid-2000s, socially responsible investing is by no means a new phenomenon. We see circular economy as an important solution towards limiting global warming as close as possible to 1.5°C. Less obvious but perhaps more interesting is the “Product as a Service” trend. This funding is to help businesses develop new ways of working and to get ahead in a circular economy. They host most of the world’s population, generate about half of the planet’s waste and consume 70% of all resources and energy. We invite proposals from: Small to medium sized enterprises (less than 250 employees/turnover less than €50 million); A prime example of this is the electronics market and specifically phones/tablets. Specialist funds such as Bridges, Palatine Impact, Nesta and Circularity Capital are increasing in number but remain somewhat thin on the ground. In fact, the first instances of backing (or perhaps more accurately, not backing) certain companies based on more than their financial profile was in the 1960s, when investors removed tobacco companies from their portfolios. This funding is important in reducing waste and emissions as we move towards a low carbon, Circular Economy. Funding schemes Circular Economy. The (R)Tech Global Retail Challenge helps expose Read more [...], Global Call for Innovators working with ‘Customer Engagement and New Business Models’ - LAUNCH Innovation Challenge 2018 is open   Imagine a world where all products are services. : All categories with the exception of the Green Read more [...], Green Industries SA provides funding for unlocking the potential of the circular economy, developing infrastructure to process and create new products from wastes, seed funding for new technologies, the commercialisation of research in South Australia and support for innovative start-up Read more [...], Five leading businesses are the first brands and retailers to sign up to the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP), a Europe-wide sustainable clothing plan which launched in May 2016. Total Funding: up to €60k per project. The organisations are launching the first call for open circular innovation focused on individuals with an idea or project that falls into the circular economy framework Read more [...]. Engineering Professor Kim Pickering has been awarded $10.9m in Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Endeavour funding to explore a circular economy concept created for the Aotearoa New Zealand context, shaped by the philosophies and values of both founding cultures, Māori and European.. In a new call, challenges are published to which SMEs and start-ups can respond. We support initiatives that have solutions to reduce, recycle Read more [...], UNLEASH is a global innovation lab, which gathers 1,000 talents annually to collaborate on solutions to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres are funded by the UK Government as part of UK Research and Innovation’s Strategic Priorities fund. Learn More Their request for proposals closes February 18, 2018 and there is up to 300,000€ per proposal available. Unsurprisingly, much of the commentary around this has focused at the larger end of the market and specifically with listed stocks, where detailed annual reports give both companies and commentators the opportunity to gain insight into the various ESG initiatives undertaken. Besides a lot of expertise and hard work, the support of partners during the foundation process is essential. In the private sector, venture capital helps fund early-stage companies that are developing innovative technologies or services to advance the principles of a circular economy. The benefits represented by a more circular and inclusive economy are numerous; from reducing plastic waste to saving our natural resources and money, a circular economy seems to be the way forward in the next decades. In order for these companies to make the transition from being an emerging trend to a leading player in their sector they will need to raise significant funds. This is where Green Alley Read more [...], The Global Change Award is an annual innovation circular fashion challenge – aiming to close the loop for fashion. This year’s funding of £3.2m, targeted at local authorities and publicly funded bodies, runs in parallel to the Circular Economy Fund for businesses. Why the EU supports circular economy research and innovation. Launched in collaboration with Fashion Read more [...], Launched by WeDesign in collaboration with the Foundation and the UN, Future Fashion Now is a global, sustainable design competition that enables entrants to rethink how the fashion industry works. Since its inception, ESG investing has grown with inflows into sustainable funds jumping significantly around 2013, until it soared again in the run up to 2019/20. COVID-19 has generated lots of speculation on the long term impacts on consumer habits, but the pervasive trends have been emerging steadily over time. The instrument targets projects which support Read more [...], Britain’s largest independent Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) recycling and reuse company, Environcom, has won a prestigious business award in recognition of achieving the most comprehensive circular economic business model. UNLEASH 2019 will be held in Shenzhen, China from November 6-13. Product as a service moves us away from the dictum of ownership is best, to acknowledging that we can, as a society, massively increase the utilisation of our assets by consuming them only as we need them, structurally addressing the issue of waste whilst providing an improved customer service. The chosen project can, for example, be a new course on the circular economy at a vocational institution, a package of supplementary training for a specific professional group, an experiment carried out in co-operation with businesses or innovative educational materials. From engineering and physical sciences to the social sciences, agriculture, plant and animal sciences. One possible explanation for this may be from a historical perception that Impact Investing was synonymous with poorer financial returns, despite there being empirical evidence that isn’t accurate. Who can apply? “Take, make, use, dispose” – this was the way of the world for decades, but is that now coming to an end? CEC’s activity is global, non-profit and free to join. Let’s look at what that might translate to in terms of businesses model. The circular economy is an approach to make the most out of resources by keeping them in use for as long as possible, thus increasing their total value throughout their life cycle. Circular Economy Package – European Union, Circular Economy Investment Fund – Scotland, Circular Economy for SMEs (CESME) 4 year project – Europe, Towards Circular Fashion: C&A Foundation’s Request for Proposals, Kick Starter and Booster Funding – EIT RawMaterials, Private Finance For Energy Efficiency (PF4EE) – Belgium, Circular Economy Champion of the Year Named by Environcom, Imagine Chemistry: The AkzoNobel Chemicals Startup Challenge, Circular Fashion: The ‘Global Change Award’ Winners, Favorite Circular Economy Competition run in the driest desert in the world – Chile. Funding in a circular economy Whilst the term ‘ESG’ only joined the lexicon in the mid-2000s, socially responsible investing is by no means a new phenomenon. We have also seen a number of businesses aiming to enable communities to collectively reduce waste and unnecessary product purchases for one off/limited use. LIFE funding (the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation and climate action projects throughout the EU) The work programme 2014-17 is focused on resource efficiency, green and circular economy. The EU funding will spur additional investments leading to a total of €398.6m to be invested into 144 new Read more [...], Zero Waste Scotland is investing European Regional Development Funds to help small and medium businesses (SMEs) be resource efficient and create a more circular economy. A circular Read more [...], The Circular Economy for SMEs (CESME) project is a Europe-wide initiative created by the Business Development Centre in Denmark. At finnCap Group we are always looking to help entrepreneurs achieve their ambitions and this is one area where see a huge amount of growth in coming years and hope to work with some of these game changing businesses. The EU-funded CICERONE project will be organising a workshop in Berlin, Germany, on 19-20 November 2019. Transitioning to a circular economy does not only amount to adjustments aimed at reducing the negative impacts of the linear economy. The first ECAP participants are brands and retailers Bobo Choses, OVS, Read more [...], The European Commission has approved an investment package of €222.7m from the EU budget to support Europe’s transition to a circular economy. The Circular Design Challenge is a platform for young fashion/accessory designers and entrepreneurs to showcase and win a prize for their innovative ideas and collections made by using materials from diverse waste sources including plastic. By catalyzing early innovations that can accelerate the shift from a linear to a circular fashion industry, the aim is to protect the planet and Read more [...], Start-ups, students, research groups and career scientists from across the world are welcome to exploit the knowledge of chemistry and solve several real-life chemistry-related challenges. With 12 years left before humanity exhausts the world’s Read more [...], The Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Closed Loop Partners have teamed up to challenge the best and brightest entrepreneurs to uncover solutions to one of the most important challenges in sustainable packaging through our joint FlexPack Recovery Challenge. Availability: July-October. As demonstrated in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, companies that enable the circular economy require funding to grow and … C-VoUCHER is a European funding programme that uses design thinking to develop new cross-sectoral and cross-border circular value chains demonstrating circularity. Target Audience(s): SMEs. The Covid 19 pandemic highlighted the growing importance of recycling to our economy and the role the circular economy has as a key part of a green recovery. Perhaps most obviously we have “Waste to Product”, an example being BioBean, using coffee grounds to power London buses, or at the more extreme end of the scale there are companies like Chip[s] Board who take McCain’s peelings and turn them into bio-plastics for buttons and eyewear. APPLY HERE! Rather, it represents a systemic shift that builds long-term resilience, generates business and economic opportunities, and provides environmental and societal benefits. Our ambition is to accelerate the time to market of the innovative concepts through the support of EIT RawMaterials and Veolia Read more [...], We are delighted to announce that the Blue Patch Sustainable Business Awards 2018 are now open. All solutions selected for Solve’s four current Global Challenges will receive a $10,000 grant funded by Solve. Please check and try again. We recognise purpose-driven organisations for doing 'global good' in their communities, for their people, for the Read more [...], The Liveability Challenge is a global platform that hunts for and accelerates the launch of innovative and ground-breaking solutions to challenges that cities in the tropics face in the 21st Century. As part of the New Plastics Economy Innovation Read more [...], Tarapacá Circular® is an idea competition run by the Center for Innovation and Circular Economy (CIEC) and Tarapacá Labs. The Circular City Funding Guide offers European urban actors extensiveinformation on financing and funding sources for circular economyprojects. Wales is on course to become a global leader in recycling and a circular economy is important to increasing resilience and making Wales net zero carbon Wales by 2050. We Invest in the Circular Economy A New Economic Model Focused on a Profitable and Sustainable Future Closed Loop Partners is a New York based investment firm that provides equity and project finance to scale products, services and infrastructure at the forefront of the development of the circular economy. The circular economy is a new way of doing business that extracts as much value as possible from resources by recycling, repairing, reusing, repurposing, or refurbishing products and materials—eliminating waste and greenhouse gas emissions at the design stage. This funding is important in reducing waste and emissions as we move towards a low carbon, Circular Economy. Stimuleringsregeling Duurzame Energie (SDE++) Circular Economy Investment Fund Category: Awards & Funding We are investing £18 million as grant funding to small and medium sized enterprises who are helping to create a more circular economy. Private equity funding is critical as companies mature from early-stage entrepreneurship and need to scale their products or service offering. The Circular Economy Investment Fund is a funding opportunity for businesses and organisations in Scotland working in all business and social economy sectors. Sitra opens a call for funding for circular economy training pilot projects for vocational institutions and lifelong learning providers. The awards are open to individuals and organizations from commerce and civil society in seven distinct Read more [...], RILA and the Bensadoun School of Retail Management at McGill University are excited to tackle the pressing issues surrounding retail and the Grand Challenges facing our societies through an innovative retail case competition. As we move forward, we expect more of funds to emerge that explicitly seek companies in the wider ESG/Impact space as newer generations look to invest their money in funds that align with their values. We as a bank have to value differently, treat risk differently, and finance differently when it comes to the circular economy. AkzoNobel launches global chemicals start-up challenge: “Imagine Chemistry“ Imagine Chemistry, launched in conjunction with KPMG, Read more [...], In 2013, the Young Global Leaders (YGL) Circular Economy Taskforce from the World Economic Forum came together to build universal awareness amongst business leaders that the circular economy represents a wealth of business opportunities which can reduce costs, increase profits and Read more [...], The Circulars award program, the world’s premier circular economy award program recognizing individuals and organizations making the circular economy a reality, is open for the 2018 entries until 30th Sep 2017. So, what does this mean for businesses, consumers and those investors who seek to back the success stories of tomorrow? We compiled the most common questions related to our call for funding for circular economy training pilot projects Overview. Sorry, no records were found. Each year they have an annual call for funding for the following topics: Upscaling projects: Developing/testing/demonstrating innovative technologies and products Read more [...], Private Finance for Energy Efficiency (PF4EE) instrument is a joint agreement between the EIB and the European Commission which aims to address the limited access to adequate and affordable commercial financing for energy efficiency investments. The Circular Economy Investment Fund is a funding opportunity for businesses and organisations in Scotland working in all Read more [...], New focus: What could a truly circular events space look like? The event, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Vienna, is a valuable opportunity for companies, researchers, academics and creative individuals Read more [...], Veolia and EIT RawMaterials drive their third startup campaign for startups in the field of circular economy. With the global population predicted to approach 9 billion people by 2030, we are using more resources than the planet can provide. In the past, if consumers were looking to make changes that positively impacted on their wider environment there was often a sacrifice such as durability, quality, cost, convenience. The Awards recognise businesses who are pioneering new solutions to sustainability challenges, Read more [...], VIENNA—The Global Chemical Leasing Award ceremony will showcase the world’s best practices, innovative solutions and research related to the chemical leasing business model. The Guide provides information on: 1) the circular economy in the urban context, 2) funding instruments and sources, and 3) how to set-up programmes for circular funding and financing. This requires collaboration between investors, banks and project managers. Learn More The Green Deal is the EU’s policy response to the environmental degradation that comes with continued economic acceleration. The survey was done by MOVECO project partners through a questionnaire about funding schemes available in EU Countries, which can be used for projects related to Circular Economy. The European Space Agency’s “Circular Economy” Kick-Start competition offers funding of up to €60k to teams who have ideas relating to the circular economy and use satellite data or space technologies. The circular economy is vital to help address climate change and other global challenges. Transportation, accommodation and materials are Read more [...], The Global Good Awards is an all-inclusive awards programme open to all sectors and all sizes of business, charity, public sector and social enterprise.