The Victorian Government has set aside $4.8 million in funding for architects and designers interested in reusing waste products and furthering the circular economy.

Made available through the Victorian Government’s Circular Economy Business Support Fund and the Circular Economy Innovation Fund, Victorian firms are eligible to apply for grants.

The funds to date have fostered 36 projects and over $7.1 million in grants, including a zero-waste hub for olive growers, a circular economy action plan for Australia’s clothing, a sustainable business model for retired electric vehicle batteries and the transformation of surplus vegetables into healthy snacks.

Sustainability Victoria’s interim CEO Matt Genever says the grants are designed to foster business innovation, commercialisation and collaboration across supply chains to prevent waste, increase reuse and repair and generate new streams of revenue for businesses.

“This funding will stimulate innovation and commercialisation of circular solutions that create new jobs and improve environmental and economic outcomes for Victoria.”

Successful recipients are able to utilise the Sustainability Victoria Circular Economy Business Innovation Centre (CEBIC), which enables designers to interact with previous grantees, attend networking events, connect and collaborate with fellow CEBIC stakeholders and promote the project and organisation.

Genever says the lessons learnt by designers of past projects help to inspire more market creation and accelerate the state towards a sustainable, thriving circular economy.

“We encourage business to explore the many opportunities and benefits the circular economy has to offer.”

The Circular Economy Innovation Fund and Circular Economy Business Support Fund forms part of the wider $380 million Circular Economy plan, Recycling Victoria: a new economy, whose targets include reducing total waste generation by 15 percent per capita by 2030.

Submissions close Wednesday 12 April 2023. For more information regarding the grants, click here.

Jarrod Reedie

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