Circular Economy Investment Fund

The Circular Economy Investment Fund, administered by Zero Waste Scotland, offers investment for SMEs based in Scotland and supports work that will deliver circular economy growth. £18 million is available as grant funding to small and medium-sized enterprises that are helping to create a more circular economy. 

This is a funding opportunity for businesses and organisations in Scotland working in all business and social economy sectors.

Support will be considered for:

• exploration of markets for new circular economy products
• development and adoption of innovative business models for new circular economy products and services
• development and uptake of innovative technologies, products and services to support a circular economy

The Circular Economy Investment Fund is available for projects nearing commercialisation and is open to:

• businesses that are classified as a small to medium enterprise (SME) with less than 250 employees/turnover less than €50 million
• non-profit organisations (charities and social enterprises)

Detailed eligibility and guidance notes are available on the website.

Businesses that are classified as a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) and non-profit organisations in Scotland.

This funding is to help businesses develop new ways of working and to get ahead in a circular economy. A circular economy is one that’s sustainable and eliminates waste as much as possible. It’s an alternative to our current ‘take, make, dispose’ approach, and means that products and materials are kept in a high-value state of use for as long as possible.

The objectives of the fund are to:

• stimulate the development and uptake of innovative and resource-efficient technologies, products and services to support a circular economy in Scotland
• encourage the collaboration of organisations across value chains, including enterprises and academia, to exploit the opportunities, and confront the challenges, of a circular economy in Scotland
• provide support and capacity building to enable the development and adoption of innovative and creative business models for a circular economy in Scotland
• provide funding for resource efficiency and circular economy projects in Scotland that have demonstrated proof of concept and have the potential for commercial exploitation within five years, to enable them to progress to a stage at which they are attractive to follow-on funders or investors
• achieve significant carbon savings through enabling projects to proceed which contribute towards a resource-efficient circular economy in Scotland

This fund is made up of support from the Scottish Government and the European Regional Development Fund.

Please visit the Zero Waste Scotland website, external link which will open in a new window to submit an enquiry and an adviser will be in touch to discuss your needs.