The Lombardy Region is expected to launch a new funding scheme shortly to support SMEs investing in circular economy projects, with the aim of making production processes more sustainable and reducing waste.

Eligible projects must include a preliminary environmental assessment, followed by either a productive investment or a process or organisational innovation project.

Investments should focus on reducing raw material consumption, recovering waste, reusing materials and improving the efficiency of production processes.

The minimum eligible investment is €50,000.

The scheme will provide non-repayable grants, with funding rates varying according to the applicable State aid framework. The maximum grant will be €1 million per project, increasing to €5 million for collaborative projects.

A total budget of €20 million has been allocated to the initiative. Applications will be assessed on a first-come, first-served basis, according to their chronological order of submission.