Germany’s Circular Valley Initiative Launches New Round of Funding to Revolutionize the European Circular Economy

Germany’s Circular Valley initiative has launched a new round of funding to develop a ‘Silicon Valley of the circular economy’ in Europe. Founded by the Circular Valley Foundation in 2021, the initiative aims to close material loops in existing value chains, provide policy recommendations, and educate the public about the circular economy. Notable members of Circular Valley include BASF, Bayer, Evonik, Knipe, Vorwerk, and scientific institutions like Fraunhofer Umsicht Institute, Max Planck Society, and Wuppertal Institute.

The programme will provide funding to more than 100 startups from around the world. The latest 15 startups come from countries like Egypt, Chile, India, and various European nations. These start-ups will have the opportunity to spend three months in the Rhine-Ruhr region developing their business models starting in April. Throughout the programme, start-up leaders will work with coaches and mentors, visit local companies, and network with industry professionals. The culmination of the funding programme will be a demonstration day on 28 May where start-ups will present their ideas to an audience.

The current focus of the programme is on coordinating value chains and exploring alternative raw materials and bioeconomy. Start-ups selected for funding cover a range of areas including coordinating value chains (Agrona, Circulix), alternative raw materials and bioeconomy (CarbonCraft), new technologies for chemical recycling (Radical Dot) and others (Qaptis).