Circular Economy Innovation Fund – Funded projects

Last updated: 24 October 2022
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Number of recipients to date: 12
Total funding awarded to date: $2,168,315
All projects to be completed by: May 2024
Prior to 1 July 2022, this fund was named the Recycling Victoria Innovation Fund

The $2.9 million Circular Economy Innovation Fund supports collaborative projects between:

  • individual businesses
  • industry groups and associations
  • charities and/or research institutions.

The projects may also include government or local government organisations or other not-for-profit organisations including community groups and associations.

These grants are funded through the Recycling Victoria policy.

To stay updated on future grant rounds, subscribe to our grants and funding alert email list.

Round 2 – Funded recipients

This funding round aimed to support circular economy projects that design out waste to improve environmental and economic outcomes for Victoria.

Announcement date: 14 May 2022

All projects to be completed by: October 2023

There were two funding streams:

  • Textiles Innovation: focused on preventing textile waste.
  • Collaborative innovation: focused on preventing waste from multiple organisations in a specific supply chain, sector or region.

Funding stream: Textiles innovation

Kathmandu Pty Ltd

Demonstrate the viability of The Renewal Workshop’s proprietary approach to repair and renewal (practised in the US and EU). This project will identify and recover Kathmandu product feedstock for the renewal process, establishing and piloting the renewal production process and partnerships while developing a renewal marketing and sales plan.

Project partners: Kirri-Mae Sampson, Aleasha McCallion

Funding: $150,000

Total co-contribution: $150,000

A.BCH Pty Ltd

Build a digital platform to connect the oversupply of textile materials with demand via a business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketplace. This project will provide the digital infrastructure to re-distribute Victorian surplus textiles in a way that captures the variety of enterprises that make up the textiles, clothing and footwear industry.

Project partners: MTK Pty Ltd, Full Circle Fibres, The Social Studio Pty Ltd, Raw Assembly Pty Ltd

Funding: $85,000

Total co-contribution: $85,000

Deakin University

Develop and research a bio-inspired textile as a viable polyester alternative. The new fibres and textiles will be made from recombinant protein-based biopolymers based on the nesting material of a native Australian solitary bee.

Project partners: Humble Bee Bio

Funding: $149,650

Total co-contribution: $525,408

University of Melbourne

Provide a safe, novel solution to extend the use of disposable medical gowns to reduce the number of gowns used and disposed of in Victoria, including evaluating and demonstrating whether a coating can be applied to a disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) gown to extend its’ use in a clinical setting.

Project partners: Western Health, Full Circle Fibres

Funding: $100,000

Total co-contribution: $140,000

Funding stream: Collaborative innovation

CLOS Laminated Offsite Solutions Pty Ltd

Demonstrate and validate the waste, cost and time-saving performance of pre-fabrication construction compared with business-as-usual in Victoria. This project will use digital design-for-manufacture to demonstrate the potential for prefab in Victorian affordable housing and deliver a waste reduction case study to share with the wider industry.

Project partners: Monash University Future Building Initiative, Ys Housing, Ireland Brown Construction, AKD Softwood

Funding: $150,000

Total co-contribution: $170,000

Round 1 – Funded recipients

Announcement date: 15 July 2021

There were two funding streams:

  • Food innovation: Collaborative partnerships that identify opportunities and apply innovative circular economy business models and practices for food waste or for the food sector.
  • Collaborative innovation: Collaborative partnerships that identify, develop and/or scale-up innovative circular economy business models and practices. The projects need to address systemic barriers with innovative thinking and practice.

Funding stream: Food innovation

Funding stream: Collaboration innovation

Want to know more? Contact us

Grants Support Representative
Sustainability Victoria