John Lewis Partnership announces £1m fund for circular economy projects
Melanie May | 22 November 2021 | News
The John Lewis Partnership, in partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, is launching a £1 million fund to support the transition to a more circular economy.
The Circular Future Fund will provide grants between £150,000 and £300,000 for ideas that help to shift consumer mindsets or develop new business models and services in the areas of textiles, food and household products, and technology and services.
It will be supporting a small number of projects over the course of one year, starting in April 2022. Projects will be selected by a grant panel of independent experts on the circular economy, grant making and innovation authorities, as well as senior representatives from the John Lewis Partnership.
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The fund is open to charities, academic bodies, CICs, social enterprises, and registered companies under five years old. Applications close on 9 January.
To meet the criteria, projects must offer a viable and truly circular solution, demonstrate impact, whether it’s direct and immediate or a clear path to future impact, and be willing to share their approach and findings.
Hubbub will administer the grant, and learnings and results from the funded projects will be shared.
The charity previously worked with the John Lewis Partnership on the Plan Plastic Grant fund. This sought ideas for cutting plastic pollution, and funded five projects, including new technology to prevent the loss of fishing gear at sea, a community-led bio recycling plant, exploring how mussel banks could remove marine microplastics, promoting plastic free periods and installing 60 water refill stations at youth hostels.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.