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Call key data

Consumption patterns and environmental awareness as enablers of transition to circular economy

Funding Program

Horizon Europe: Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Call number

HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-05

deadlines

Opening
06.05.2025

Deadline
17.09.2025 17:00

Funding rate

70%

Call budget

€ 12,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 6,000,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

In supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, and in particular the 2020 circular economy action plan (CEAP), the Waste Framework Directive, the upcoming Green Claims Directive, the EU Ecolabel and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), successful proposals will contribute to the expected impacts of this Destination, notably to benefits for industry and consumers from new opportunities both through sustainable novel products in line with ecodesign principles, and novel circular business models that have a mitigating impact on resource use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Call objectives

The transition to a circular economy is key to reducing pressures on natural resources. It is also a prerequisite to achieve the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality target and to halt biodiversity loss. Sustainable consumption and production are key elements in the societal transition to a competitive circular and sustainable economy. Decoupling economic activities and human well-being from natural resource use and environmental impacts is essential and necessary. As part of the transition, with the emergence of circular and sustainable products, consumers will play an even more important role in making sustainable choices. Consumer empowerment encourages sustainable choices, which in return contribute to pollution reduction and climate neutrality.

Expected effects and impacts

Proposals should address the gaps in public awareness about the environmental impacts of the mainstream consumption patterns and between prevalent consumer knowledge/awareness and actual behaviour. Proposals should make use of social innovation and should analyse and identify the economic, social, behavioural, psychological, technical and legal barriers and levers for the uptake of circular and sustainable products, solutions and services. The analysis should address relevant aspects of fairness, equality, diversity, inclusion, and gender.

Proposals should first assess the patterns and underlying motivations of consumption habits through experimentation within various cultural, geographical, social, demographic, and economic groups. Based on this assessment, projects should draw and evaluate possible pathways to behavioural change of various economic actors (municipalities, companies including retailers and service providers, end-users) to enable the transition to circular and sustainable economy. These pathways should show how to change the demand for products and services with high environmental impacts and resource intensity, towards more circular and sustainable ones, including used and second-hand products, sharing services, repairability and durability. Possible environmental impacts in this context should be seen from a lifecycle perspective, including and valuing in monetary terms environmental externalities and building on rules set in Environmental Footprint methods wherever possible. The pathways should include policy, governance and business recommendations in all relevant areas (economic, behavioural, educational, technical, legal, cultural, etc.).

Power imbalances between industry and civil society should be addressed, and the impact and potential of Ecodesign, Ecolabel, green claims, and of digital infrastructures and Digital Product Passports should be explored with a view to changing vantage points and consumer behaviour.

Convincing narratives, framing strategies and storytelling tactics should be developed, improving knowledge of selling points, i.e., which features and qualities make a product or service attractive for consumers.

Proposals should explore the territorial and geographical dimensions of consumption patterns, and aim at synergies with the New European Bauhaus and the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI). Proposals are strongly encouraged to organise joint activities, ensure synergies and undertake clustering activities with CCRI projects and the CCRI CSO.

For this topic, the engagement of citizens and civil society in the project activities is central to achieving the targeted outcomes. This topic also requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the services offered by European research infrastructures such as ESS ERIC or other relevant research infrastructures.

The JRC may provide expertise in circular economy policy and foster coordination with on-going related activities and participate, potentially, in the projects Scientific Advisory Board.

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Expected results

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

  • increased awareness of consumers of the importance of their choices, and of available sustainable and circular purchasing and use options, and demonstrated willingness to change their consumption behaviour accordingly; value of making circular purchasing decisions has been demonstrated to consumers;
  • guidance is made available to public authorities and civil society organisations on how awareness about sustainable and circular consumption decisions can be increased and how decisions for consumption with a lower environmental footprint and lower greenhouse gas emissions can be motivated;
  • circularity-related knowledge and skills of economic operators including product designers are strengthened, with the intention to make sustainable circular products and services more attractive to consumers, in view of their benefits in terms of reduced pollutant and GHG emissions and reduced pressure on biodiversity and ecosystems.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom

eligible entities

EU Body, Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:

  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries

Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:

  • at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
  • at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.

A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.

other eligibility criteria

Specific cases:

  • Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
  • Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
  • Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
  • Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
  • International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
  • Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
  • Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
  • EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
  • Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
    With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity.
  • Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.

Additional information

Topics

Agriculture & Forestry, Fishery, Food, Soil quality, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
Circular Economy, Natural Resources, 
Education & Training, Children & Youth, Media

Relevance for EU Macro-Region

EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region

UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)

Additional Information

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.

Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.

Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.

The application form will have two parts:

  • Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
  • Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.

Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).

The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.

Call documents

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and EnvironmentHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment(kB)

Contact

National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website

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