Circular Awards by the EU CERC recognise and celebrate best practices in the circular economy taken forward by governments and businesses.
The Policy Implementation Award by the EU CERC is an annual recognition targeting policymakers that have demonstrated tangible results in advancing the circular economy. It is for public-sector organisations or public-sector-affiliated entities and their partners in most countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA) support working at
The award is part of the annual Circular Awards by the EU CERC which also includes separate Business Awards.
The EU CERC will award an organisation which has a central role in effectively implementing a circular economy policy initiative since 2020. Other innovative policy initiatives where results have not yet been mentioned may be recognised by honorary mentions.
A jury nominated by the EU CERC will judge the participating initiatives based on a set of criteria focused on measurable results of implementation of circular economy objectives, with an eye to collaboration, development, accessible communication, business and trade. The winner will be invited to participate in WCEF2026 to receive the award including tailored EU CERC support up to a value of €10,000.
The winner will be announced at the World Circular Economy Forum. The WCEF is a landmark event of the year that brings together business leaders, policymakers and experts to advance the world’s best circular economy solutions.
The Policy Implementation Award by the EU CERC is open to applications from the following ODA recipient countries:
The country list above draws on OECD’s listing of ODA recipient countries.
The application period has ended. Thank you to all who applied!
Interested entities were invited to apply through the application form. The application could be submitted in English, Spanish or French. Please note that all applications will be handled and evaluated in English (translated from Spanish or French, if necessary), and all official communications by EU CERC will be done in English.
By applying, you acknowledge that your information shall be processed in accordance with EU CERC’s Privacy Policy and you will receive information through the WCEF newsletter.
The applicants must meet a minimum criteria to be eligible and accept the terms and conditions of the award. The applications will be evaluated based on a set of criteria mentioned below.
The applicants must meet the following minimum criteria to be eligible for the award.
It is an initiative by the EU Circular Economy Resource Centre to recognise and promote exemplary circular economy policies around the world. The award aims to highlight policies that have a tangible impact on the transition to a circular economy.
The award is funded by the European Commission and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland as part of the EU CERC. The process for this award is managed by Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund.
The award is open to public sector organisations in most countries eligible for ODA support. For a complete list of eligible countries, please see the list above.
Interested entities must complete and submit an online application form available above. The submission deadline is 31 December 2025 at 23:59 EET (UTC+2).
The application can be submitted in English, Spanish or French. Please note that all applications will be handled and evaluated in English (translated from Spanish or French, if necessary), and all official communications by EU CERC will be done in English.
The winner will be invited to the World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) and have access to the main stage for the announcement. The winner will receive tailored mentoring, networking, training or coaching from the EU CERC based on the winner’s requests, as well as visibility through meetings with high-level stakeholders at the forum, on WCEF’s website and social media.
Senior Lead, Global Circular Economy
+358294618202
johanna.suikkanen@sitra.fi
+358 294 618 475
tim.forslund@sitra.fi
The EU CERC is a joint initiative
The EU Circular Economy Resource Centre (EU CERC) is a joint initiative of the European Commission, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra and the Belgian agency for international cooperation Enabel.
EU CERC is co-funded by the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) with a total of €15 million and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs with a national contribution of €2 million. The centre will operate through 2025-2029.
Privacy policy