Sector
Climate tech, carbon capture, circular economy, and sustainability solutions.
Circular Economy
Business models promoting product reuse, repair, and material recycling
The field
At a glance
Definition
Business models promoting product reuse, repair, and material recycling
Technologies
Chemical recycling processes break down mixed plastics and blended textiles into virgin-quality feedstocks. AI-powered sorting robotics identify and separate materials at higher speeds and accuracy than manual sorting. Digital product passports track material composition throughout product lifecycle. Blockchain-based material provenance verification ensures authenticity of recycled content claims.
Applications
SOLARCYCLE recovers valuable materials from end-of-life solar panels. Circ's technology recycles polycotton textiles into virgin-quality fibers. PureCycle converts mixed polypropylene waste into pure resin. Digital product passports enable automated sorting and recycling at end of life by encoding material composition in scannable tags.
Market and funding
The circular economy market attracted approximately $670 million in 2025 venture investment, with an average investment value of $37 million per funding round reflecting the capital intensity of recycling and remanufacturing infrastructure. With 41 funders in Superscout's database, the sector spans advanced recycling, remanufacturing, product-as-a-service platforms, waste-to-resource conversion, and digital circular supply chains.
Next door
Related sectors
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Sector
Durable carbon dioxide removal: the companies, science, MRV, buyers and funders that pull CO2 out of the atmosphere and store it for centuries or longer, across direct air capture, enhanced weathering and mineralization, ocean CDR, and biomass removal (BECCS, biochar, bio-oil and burial).
Sector
Clean energy and environmental technology.
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