Circular Plastics NL 2026 Open Call — EUR 40 Million for Recycling and Circularity
Enriched government · Found: 2026-05-06 17:28
The CPNL 2026 Open Call offers EUR 40 million for innovation and upscaling in plastic, textile, and rubber recycling and circularity. Open for applications 21 April to 6 October 2026 via RVO. Supports research projects (up to EUR 1.5M) and showcases (up to EUR 7.5M). Partnership with at least one business required.
Source: https://circularplasticsnl.org/en/updates/2026-open-call/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Circular Plastics NL / RVO Netherlands
- Funding Goal
- Support innovation and upscaling in the recycling and circularity of plastics, textiles, and rubber in the Netherlands. Two project types: (1) Research projects focusing on R&D of processes, methodologies and techniques including design for recyclability, waste stream characterisation, and conversion of plastic waste into new raw materials; (2) Showcases aimed at eliminating bottlenecks in value chains, covering automated textile sorting, mixed plastic pre-processing, mechanical recycling, dissolution, depolymerization, and devulcanization/decrosslinking of rubber.
- Funding Amount
- Up to EUR 1,500,000 for research projects; up to EUR 7,500,000 for showcases (pilot or demonstration projects). Total pool: EUR 40 million. (up to 7.500.000 €)
- Deadline
- 2026-10-06 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Applications submitted via RVO (Netherlands Enterprise Agency) portal at www.rvo.nl/subsidies-financiering/cpnl. Application window: 21 April 2026 to 6 October 2026, 17:00. Requires project description, budget and financing plan, knowledge dissemination plan, and authorization documents. Three webinars held in April 2026; CPNL x RVO Call Day on 19 May 2026 in Utrecht. Project Idea Form available for exploratory meeting with RVO.
- Target Region
- Netherlands
- Contact
- info@circularplasticsnl.org; CPNL Programme Line Managers via circularplasticsnl.org/en/organisatie/; RVO via rvo.nl
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-06 21:34
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The CPNL 2026 Open Call is a EUR 40 million grant programme from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, implemented by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), aimed at accelerating plastic, textile, and rubber recycling innovation and upscaling in the Netherlands. The call was published in the official Government Gazette on 3 April 2026 and is open for applications from 21 April through 6 October 2026. The programme distinguishes between two project types. Research projects (up to EUR 1.5 million, 4-year duration) focus on R&D of processes and techniques, including design for recyclability, improved waste stream characterisation/sorting/washing, and conversion of plastic waste into new raw materials. Showcases (up to EUR 7.5 million, 5-year duration) target the elimination of bottlenecks in specific value chains across eight defined topics: automated textile sorting, mixed plastic pre-processing, mechanical recycling improvements, dissolution (selective plastic dissolving), depolymerization (monomer recovery), devulcanization/decrosslinking of rubber, design methodology for packaging recyclability, and recovery of plastic from non-packaging waste streams currently sent to incineration. Thematic scope covers plastics, textiles, and rubber recycling — with emphasis on scaling proven technology from pilot to industrial/commercial application. Eligible activities include innovation, R&D, demonstration, and pilot projects. The stated problem is that 53% of Dutch plastic waste was still incinerated in 2022 despite collection volumes exceeding 1 million tonnes annually. Geographically, the call is restricted to the Netherlands. All applicants must form a partnership including at least one business; NGOs, research institutions, and other entities can join as consortium partners. Applications are evaluated on five criteria: contribution to objectives, innovation level, success prospects, project quality, and partnership quality. EU subsidy rules apply including financial health checks.
Historical Context
CPNL (Circular Plastics NL) is a national programme from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, implemented by RVO. This is a 2026 open call published in the Government Gazette on 3 April 2026. CPNL was established to lay the groundwork for scaling recycling in the Netherlands; in 2022, 53% of Dutch plastic waste still went to incineration despite 1 million+ tonnes collected annually.
Why it was added
discovered from funder #764: Circular Plastics NL EUR 40M Open Call