Going circular!Going circular! Baden-Württemberg enterprises obtain funding to implement circular economy projects

SMEs from Baden-Württemberg achieved by far the highest success rate in the first open call of the EU’s Up2Circ project. Two of the four Baden-Württemberg businesses awarded grants of up to €50,000 to implement circular economy projects were supported by experts from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum: PROSERVATION GmbH from Stuttgart and Mannheim’s MELINA BUCHER.

The Steinbeis experts helped both companies find the right funding program and assisted them with the application process. This included communication with the funders that paved the way to obtaining the project funding.

Making leather goods fit for the future

Mannheim’s Melina Bucher has been awarded a twelve-month, €50,000 large-scale project grant from the Up2Circ program for her vegan “leather” goods startup. The founder of the eponymous brand is passionate about developing sustainable fashion innovations. Conventional leather goods contain large amounts of plastic both in their coatings and in adhesives, reinforcements and padding hidden below the surface. Because so many different materials are used, they cannot be recycled. MELINA BUCHER is a startup that is using creative solutions to tackle this challenge. With her atelier in Mannheim  she develops and produces vegan, plastic-free, bio-based leather goods that contribute toward a holistic circular economy. “The $500 billion leather goods industry is in urgent need of innovation. We have been working closely with material innovators worldwide for years to come up with different materials for the leather goods sector that are in harmony with people, animals and nature. The Up2Circ grant enables  us to realize some of our ideas and make the fashion world a little bit better”, said a delighted Melina Bucher on learning that her funding application had been approved.

Sustainable packaging

Stuttgart’s PROSERVATION GmbH has been awarded a six-month, €15,000 small-scale project grant for its eco-friendly cushioning material. The company’s founding team develops environmentally and economically beneficial packaging solutions made from the grain husks left over from the local grain processing industry. Its robust natural products can be custom-shaped. The funding will help PROSERVATION to pursue its mission of enabling safer and more sustainable goods transport – providing a shining example of circularity in action and making an important contribution to protecting the environment.

The EU’s Up2Circ funding program

The EU-funded Up2Circ program provides small and medium-sized enterprises with free advice, expertise and financial support to help them transition toward a circular economy. In the first open call, 366 applications were received from 20 European countries. 47 projects receive  EU funding, including 15 large-scale and 32 small-scale projects.

The funding helps the companies to reduce their environmental footprint and ensure that they are prepared to comply with the coming regulations and answer their customer inquiries. The circular economy offers a profitable means of avoiding resource-intensive processes, maximizing the use of existing assets and accessing new revenue streams. It combines commercial and environmental benefits by reducing material and energy costs, stabilizing supply chains and opening up new business opportunities.

Up2Circ is coordinated by Hamburg company TUTECH and the Enterprise Europe Network Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein. The project develops and implements measures tailored to companies’ specific needs. The aim is to provide 92 SMEs with up to €50,000 of funding each over a four-year period. A second open call will follow in spring 2025.

Further information: https://up2circ.eu/second-open-call/