Banking on Circularity: How EU policymakers can help circular economy start-ups and projects access private investment

This policy brief, Banking on Circularity, draws on the experiences of circular businesses that received support through DEFINITE-CCRI. It highlights that while the EU supports the circular economy in principle, many barriers still make it difficult for circular businesses to attract funding. These include strict certification rules, longer timelines to show profits, and limited tools to measure their full environmental and social impact.

The document focuses on three types of common and emerging circular businesses: 1) material recovery businesses, 2) circular platform businesses, and 3) circular hubs. For each, we identify specific challenges they face in accessing private investment, and propose EU-level policy solutions to remove those barriers.

Policy Brief_Banking on Circularity