Circular economy funding
Grants and contracts for material reuse, recycling, design-for-disassembly, and product-as-a-service models.
Circular economy funding has moved from a niche industrial-decarbonization sub-theme to a top-line priority in the EU (Circular Economy Action Plan, Horizon Cluster 6), the UK (DEFRA Resources & Waste Strategy), and a growing list of MDB programmes. The 2024–2026 wave concentrates on textiles, electronics, plastics, and battery materials.
The funder mix skews towards EU instruments (Horizon, Innovation Fund, LIFE, Interreg) and national R&D agencies (UKRI Smart Manufacturing, Vinnova, ADEME). Corporate procurement is increasingly important, large brands signing offtake or pilot contracts for circular feedstocks behaves like non-dilutive funding for early commercial scale-up.
Live opportunities
- Grant
EPSRC-Defra Reimagining Circularity: full stage
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)• Up to £5,410,000This is a three-year NetworkPlus funding call from EPSRC and Defra to build research capacity and strengthen community capabilities in circular economy, specifically focused on data/metrics or textiles. Eligible applicants are UK research organisations funded by EPSRC.
- Contract
Delegated management of public household and similar waste service, Tassoultante commune
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Commune TASSOULTANTEThe commune of Tassoultante (Marrakech, Morocco) is tendering, by open call for tenders, the delegated management of its household and similar waste public service. It suits experienced waste collection and management operators, likely with local field capacity.
- Contract
Special waste collection: WEEE, lamps, batteries, toner and ink cartridges
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Rectorado de la Universidad de GranadaThe University of Granada is procuring collection and certified treatment of special waste from its buildings, including WEEE, lamps, batteries, IT consumables, toner and ink cartridges, in line with current regulations. Suited to licensed waste managers and recyclers with collection logistics and authorised treatment facilities in Spain.
- Contract
Acquisition of rear, top and side-loading containers for residual, paper, packaging, organic fractions
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Presidencia de la Mancomunidad de Municipios del Sur de León (MANSURLE)• $110KA Spanish regional waste authority (MANSURLE) is procuring rear-loading, top-loading and side-loading waste containers for residual, paper, packaging and organic waste fractions, worth about €82.6k. It suits suppliers of municipal waste collection equipment, including SMEs able to deliver a single-lot supply contract.
- Contract
Refuse transport services – CANCELLED: waste transport from large and hazardous waste sites
Deadline 3 Nov 2026UAB Panevėžio regiono atliekų tvarkymo centras (PV)A Lithuanian regional waste management centre seeks a contractor to transport waste in containers (ASK and GAK types) from large and hazardous waste collection sites in the Panevėžys region. Bidders most likely to fit are waste logistics operators with licensed collection vehicles and hazardous waste handling capability.
- Contract
Packaging waste source-separated collection, transport and recycling operation leased out
Deadline 3 Nov 2026BORNOVA BELEDİYE BAŞKANLIĞIThe Bornova Municipality is leasing out the source-separated collection, transport and recycling routing of packaging waste under a closed-bid public tender. Suited to waste-management operators with municipal collection capacity and fleet, and potentially to SMEs able to subcontract or deliver a local lot.
- Contract
Providing engineering design and environmental safeguards for establishment of circular economy in healthcare waste management system in Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PD (Re-Tender)
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)This RFP procures engineering design and environmental safeguards for a circular-economy healthcare waste management system in Xieng Khouang Province, Lao PDR, funded through GGGI. It suits engineering consultancies with waste infrastructure design and environmental and social safeguards experience, including SMEs that can deliver or subcontract a consulting scope.
- Contract
Transport and conditioning of cardboard from professionals and waste facilities
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Communauté d'agglomération Rochefort OcéanThis tender procures transport and conditioning (sorting/baling) of cardboard waste from commercial sources and waste collection points for a French agglomeration. Bidders should be waste-management or logistics operators with cardboard recycling/handling expertise.
- Contract
Annual contract wastewater treatment residue disposal Celle
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Stadtentwässerung CelleAnnual contract for disposal and recovery of screenings, sand trap residues, and coarse materials from municipal wastewater treatment in Celle, Germany. Bidders must provide collection containers, transport, weighing, documentation, and final disposal/recovery services.
- Contract
Disposition of dehydrated sludge from Sherbrooke wastewater treatment plant
Deadline 3 Nov 2026Ville de SherbrookeSherbrooke seeks a contractor to transport and valorize dehydrated wastewater treatment sludge through agricultural, forestry, horticultural use, or composting over 3 years plus optional renewals. Bidders must be waste-management or biosolids-valorization specialists with transport and end-use placement capacity.
Active funders
Barn Investments
OpenDOEN Foundation
OpenEnvironment Agency
OpenDeadline calendar
Circular Economy grants closing in the next 90 days, grouped by urgency. Each card opens the grants listed in that window.
Frequently asked
Is "recycling" the same as "circular economy" for funder purposes?▾
Usually broader, recycling is one of several circular strategies (reuse, repair, remanufacturing, sharing, dematerialisation). The most competitive applications make the full circularity case, not just the end-of-life recovery story.
Which sectors have the most circular-economy funding right now?▾
On dollar volume in 2026: textiles (driven by EU PPWR + ESPR), plastics (UN Treaty preparatory work + extended producer responsibility schemes), electronics/critical raw materials, and battery recycling. Built-environment circularity (construction waste, reuse hubs) is a fast-growing pocket.
Are there grants for circular business models, not just hardware?▾
Yes. Horizon Cluster 6, EIT Climate-KIC, and Innovate UK Smart Grants fund product-as-a-service, repair networks, and digital product passports. Foundation funding (Ellen MacArthur Foundation portfolio, Laudes Foundation) explicitly targets systems and business-model change.
Do procurement contracts count as non-dilutive funding here?▾
Yes, large public buyers (NHS, EU procurement, local authorities) are increasingly buying circular materials or services with multi-year contracts that pre-pay capacity. Treat the UK Find a Tender and TED feeds as a funding source, not just a sales channel.
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Match scores, alerts when new programmes open, and the complete listing of every circular economy opportunity, across grants, government contracts, and offtake programmes.
What can I find here this week?
New this week
See all 709 →ORMAT Recycling Objectives
Agence de la transition écologique (ADEME)
ADEME's ORMAT programme co-funds studies and investments that boost material recycling, including sorting and preparation of waste, production and use of recycled raw materials, and battery reuse and remanufacturing. It targets French industrial and recycling project developers seeking to reduce raw material use and decarbonise industry.
EKOO: Circulaire economie
Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO)
RVO's EKOO subsidy funds collaborative R&D projects developing innovative circular products, processes or services, provided the innovation reaches the market within 10 years of project start. It targets Dutch business-research partnerships, with applications open 22 October to 3 December 2026.
DEI+: Circular Economy and Large-Scale Biobased Projects
Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO)
RVO's DEI+ subsidy helps Dutch entrepreneurs test circular-economy or low-CO2 innovations in pilot or demonstration projects at scale. Applications are open from 16 June 2026 to 17 December 2026.
Provision of services related to the establishment of a collection, pre-treatment and valorization system for Printed Circuit Boards , electrical wires and cables from industrial scrap of automotive manufacturing companies in Tunisia - UNIDO Project “Green
UNIDO · TN
UNIDO is procuring services to establish a collection, pre-treatment and valorization system for printed circuit boards, electrical wires and cables from automotive manufacturing industrial scrap in Tunisia under its Green Contracting project. It suits environmental service providers, recyclers or consultancies with e-waste and metal recovery expertise and local Tunisian presence.
Training and awareness on source separation, recycling and circular economy in Suba
ALCALDÍA LOCAL DE SUBA · CO
The Suba Local Mayor's Office is procuring training and awareness services on source separation, recycling and circular economy for local residents. It suits training or environmental education providers, including small firms and NGOs with community outreach experience.
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| Free | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Search and browse every opportunity: title, sector, deadline, amount | Yes | Yes |
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Related
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- Sibling sectors: waste reduction, low-carbon materials