Reduced plastic use and circular plastics economy 2024

The aim of the call is to support projects that contribute to reducing the amount of plastic through extended lifespan of plastic and packaging products, primarily by better design and new business models that include repair and reuse.

The call is exclusively directed towards the packaging, textiles, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as construction industries in Norway. Within this limitation, it is also possible to apply for support for projects outside Norway, provided that the solution or knowledge can make the Norwegian plastics system more circular.

• • Announced framework: Up to 75 million NOK
  • Project duration: Up to 2 years after allocation
  • Requirement for additional funding: At least 50% of total project costs
  • Single-step application process, i.e. only full application

• • Projects that do not align with the call for applications' priorities
  • Projects where the applicant has ongoing projects supported by the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund, and which deliver the final report later than the application deadline on 11 October.
  • Pure operations:
    Development and testing of solutions and technology can be supported, but not the operation of the solution once it is fully developed.Plastic handling in established waste and recycling streams
    
  • Development and testing of solutions and technology can be supported, but not the operation of the solution once it is fully developed.
  • Plastic handling in established waste and recycling streams
    
  • Measures and activities that are carried out before the date of any grant allocation

Priorities of the Call for Applications

• In November, the EU Parliament is highly likely to adopt the Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR), which replaces the current directive (PPWD). The goals of the regulation will demand a swift transition to reuse and the use of recycled plastics in new packaging, including products intended for contact with food. Much packaging will need to be part of various reuse systems. For single-use packaging, closed loops should be developed so that recycled plastics can be used for the same application.

  The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund aims with this call for applications to prioritise projects that develop solutions and knowledge contributing to the reorganisation of the Norwegian plastics system to achieve the forthcoming goals and requirements in the regulation.

  In this sector, support can therefore only be applied for projects that contribute to:

  1. Reuse solutions:

  • Refilling in-store, for both food and non-food items like soap and cleaning agents
    
  • Home delivery of products in reusable packaging with the collection (return) of empty packaging
    
  • Reuse solutions for takeaway packaging for both food and beverages
    
  • Reuse solutions for transport packaging, including distribution packaging (d-pack).
    

  Reusable packaging must have a well-considered design that allows for the maximum number of rotations, and meets safety, quality, and hygiene standards when the packaging is filled, emptied, cleaned, and reused. Projects that contribute to the development of solutions across brands will be prioritised.
  

  2. Closed-loop recycling:

  Projects that contribute to comprehensive solutions for closed-loop recycling, for both food and non-food items. Closed-loop recycling must enable the use of recycled plastics for the same or equivalent purposes. The solutions must address the entire value chain, i.e., packaging design (specification of plastic packaging for a product group that can be recycled in a closed loop), collection, fine sorting, and recycling.

• Textiles contain on average more than 50% plastic. The EU's goal for textiles is to ensure that all products on the market are durable, repairable, recyclable, free from hazardous substances, and produced in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. "Fast fashion" is to be phased out in favour of textiles that are affordable and of high quality, with profitable reuse and repair services widely available.

  The Norwegian textile value chain is far from this goal, and there is a need for a major transformation of both business models and consumer habits. The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund aims to contribute to this transformation.

  In this industry, funding applications can therefore only be made for projects that contribute to reducing plastic through solutions and knowledge that reduce the need to produce new textiles:

  • Projects that extend the lifespan of textiles, particularly workwear
  • Repair services: Applicants must demonstrate that a grant will contribute to a significant volume of textiles being repaired
  • Solutions that encourage fewer collections per year through better design and smarter solutions for consumers
  • Projects that help to increase retailers' knowledge of the environmental impact of replacing plastic with other materials in textiles.

• Plastic is a suitable material for equipment used in fisheries and aquaculture and is used in large quantities. This plastic usage has known negative environmental consequences, including as a significant source of plastic litter in Norway. The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund aims to contribute to reduced plastic usage in these industries through smarter design, which requires less plastic or increases durability.

  In this industry, support can only be sought for projects that contribute to:

  1. Extending the lifespan of products made of plastic, for example by:

  • Re-use and/or repair
  • Designing and using the equipment in a way that causes less wear and tear.

  2. Smart design of new equipment that enables the use of less plastic
  

• The use of plastic products in the construction and civil engineering industry has increased significantly over the last few decades, and today it is the second largest end-user market for plastics in Norway. As a result, a very large amount of plastic is accumulated in Norwegian buildings and infrastructure, which in the coming years will create large and unpredictable waves of plastic waste that at worst may need to be energy recovered. The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund aims both to help ensure that the waste becomes part of the circular plastics economy and to reduce plastic consumption in the sector going forward.

  In this sector, funding can therefore only be applied for projects that contribute to:

  • Extending the lifespan of products made from plastic, for example through reuse and/or repair
  • Smart design that allows for reduced plastic use
  • Increased source sorting of plastic waste in the construction industry to ensure clean material flows
  • New facilities for the sorting and material recycling of plastics from this industry

• • The applicant must have an organisation number and be registered in the Brønnøysund Register Centre or an equivalent international registration, such as a Company Registration Number (CRN) or a similar number that confirms the existence of the business.
  • The business and contact persons must be registered in the project portal.
  • The application must be submitted through the project portal.
  • Economy (more information here):Rules for hourly rates when calculating expenses in the projectAudit, including threshold amounts and guidelines for the applicant's auditor
  • Rules for hourly rates when calculating expenses in the project
  • Audit, including threshold amounts and guidelines for the applicant's auditor
  • The applicant must provide realistic budgets and describe how the funds will be used.
  • Requirements for other funding: At least 50% of the total project costs.
  • By other funding, we mean own hours or money, private investors, and public or private funding schemes such as Innovation Norway and Sparebankstiftelsen. It will be viewed positively if the applicant contributes with their own funds rather than solely relying on external financing.
  • The application must be written in Norwegian or English.
  • Any previous agreements with the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund must have been complied with.
  • If at least one of the points below applies to the project, the application form will require the applicant to answer additional questions:The funding requested is greater than NOK 5 million.The country is listed in the EU Sanctions Map. Support cannot be applied for projects in countries listed on the EU/UN sanctions list unless it can be documented through an extended self-declaration that the project's funds, for example, do not go to sanctioned individuals.The country is mentioned in the Norwegian authorities' table Current Sanctions and Measures.The country has a score lower than 40 in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
  • The funding requested is greater than NOK 5 million.
  • The country is listed in the EU Sanctions Map. Support cannot be applied for projects in countries listed on the EU/UN sanctions list unless it can be documented through an extended self-declaration that the project's funds, for example, do not go to sanctioned individuals.
  • The country is mentioned in the Norwegian authorities' table Current Sanctions and Measures.
  • The country has a score lower than 40 in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

• The applicant is the project owner. The application may include other enterprises as project partners. Granted funds are only disbursed to the project owner, with whom the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund enters into a project agreement. The project owner is responsible for further disbursement to any subcontractors, for carrying out the project in accordance with the application, and for reporting to the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund.

  Reporting

  • The grant recipient must submit a brief status report before each project disbursement.
  • Multiyear projects must deliver an annual report.
  • All grant recipients must deliver a final report after the project is completed.
  • All reporting is done in the project portal.

  Accounts and Audit

  • All projects must deliver project accounts for the entire project period as part of the final reporting.
  • For allocations over 350,000 NOK up to and including 1 million NOK, the grant recipient's auditor must review the project accounts by issuing a statement in accordance with ISRS 4400 Agreed-upon procedures. See the guide for more information.
  • For allocations over 1 million NOK, the grant recipient's auditor must review the project accounts for the entire project period through a regular audit in accordance with ISA 805. See the guide for more information.
  • Costs associated with the use of an auditor accrue to the project and must be budgeted for in the application.

  Grant Allocations and VAT

  • Support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund can be used as self-financing when applying to other support schemes.
  • Support from the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund includes any fees, including VAT. The funds are awarded as a gift.
  • The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund assesses that grant allocations are normally not subject to VAT, but it is the recipient's responsibility to comply with the VAT regulations, so the recipient must assess this independently. The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund cannot be invoiced or otherwise charged for additional costs in cases where the applicant has misinterpreted the VAT regulations in their application for support. The applicant must independently clarify with their auditor whether a grant will be subject to VAT or not.

• The processing of the application follows a strict conflict of interest and confidentiality declaration. Read the declarations here. Please note that the information in the application may be shared confidentially with other funding entities (such as Innovation Norway and Sparebankstiftelsen) during the application processing if relevant. This is to ensure good and efficient processing, as well as appropriate use of funds.
  

  Selected experts from HMF's Expert Committee and Board may have access to the application when it is being assessed and board-handled. In the application form, applicants can state the names of individuals and entities they consider to be disqualified and therefore should not have access to the application.

  Application processing routine
  

  • Evaluation of the sketch application: At least two employees of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund evaluate the application. When the administrative decision is made, the applicant receives a response, either a rejection or an invitation to submit a full application.
  • Evaluation of full applications: At least two employees of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund evaluate the application. In addition, external experts with relevant knowledge are used:
    Applications over NOK 500,000, up to NOK 1 million: At least one external expert evaluates the application.Applications over NOK 1 million: At least two external experts evaluate the application.Decision: The administration in the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund compiles their own and the external experts' evaluations and presents recommended allocations to the board, which makes the final decision.
  • Applications over NOK 500,000, up to NOK 1 million: At least one external expert evaluates the application.
  • Applications over NOK 1 million: At least two external experts evaluate the application.
  • Decision: The administration in the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund compiles their own and the external experts' evaluations and presents recommended allocations to the board, which makes the final decision.

  If there is a need for clarifications after the application evaluation, the applicant may be invited to an online meeting.

  Assessment criteria
  

  The application will be evaluated according to four criteria, where all criteria are equally weighted on a scale from 1–7:

  • Project quality:
    The quality of the proposed measures, activities, and methods. The extent to which the proposed work is ambitious and innovative, realistic, and well-founded in knowledge and experience.
  • Environmental impact:
    The potential to reduce the negative environmental effects of plastics in the short and long term. The extent to which the project can deliver good solutions and effects. Plans for disseminating results, knowledge, and concrete solutions developed in the project.
  • Implementation:
    The quality of the project's organization, management, and resource use. The extent to which the project is well-organized, with the right expertise in the project group and partners.
  • Scientific priorities:
    The extent to which the project responds to the call's scientific priorities.

  Some projects may be assessed more thoroughly
  

  This applies to applications for more than NOK 5 million and selected projects that the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund considers to need a more thorough assessment.
  

  If so, the applicant must present the project, and the case handlers and experts will have the opportunity to ask questions about the application and project.

  These are our external experts.

All types of businesses can apply. Projects that meet the following criteria will be prioritised:

• The project considers the entire value chain by involving relevant project partners and demonstrating documented expertise in critical success factors
• The amount of plastic in the project achieves the necessary scale for the solution to be economically sustainable and gives a substantial environmental impact
• Projects with a solid establishment with the problem owner
  

The Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund cannot distribute funding to members. This means that members cannot be the applicant, but they can participate as project partners, provided that the project's results are made publicly available, both for members and non-members.

The autumn calls for applications are a 1-step application process (without a preliminary proposal) where applicants have a six-week deadline to submit a full application.

• The call for applications is closed.
  

  Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a notification in your inbox if the call is reopened.

• • For questions about eApply: Contact Borghild Storaas at borghild@handelensmiljofond.no
  • For questions about the call for applications: Contact Synnøve Fagerhaug Dalen at synnove@handelensmiljofond.no