The Greentown Labs Circularity Challenge is a six-month accelerator program for start-ups developed. It is in partnership with BASF, one of the world’s leading chemical companies. The program intends to advance innovative ideas to disrupt the plastics, energy storage, and recycling value chains to enable a circular economy.

Moreover, believing that disruptive solutions for circular economy must be jointly addressed along the value chain, this program is supported by Stanley Black & Decker, a leading global diversified industrial and member of BASF’s value chain that shares the vision for a more sustainable future.
Further, The circular economy is much more than waste management. The aim is to close cycles and use products and resources in the best way possible across the entire value chain. The circular economy model has to gain ground in politics, industry, and society over the last years. Behind this idea is a shift away from the linear model of “take-make-dispose” to a system of closed loops powered by renewable energy. Additionally, The chemical industry and its innovations can lead the way in this change. BASF is already applying a circular economy in a number of ways.

Circular economy thinking, however, cannot be to a company’s own operations. We are looking for start-ups, with a proof of concept solution, that creatively enable circularity for plastics or battery materials or provide digital tools for circularity in general.

Benefit

Selected Circularity Challenge awardee(s) are eligible for the following awards and benefits:

• Acceptance into Greentown Launch, a 6-month accelerator program for start-ups at Greentown Labs
• Partnership and/or potential investment from BASF by the end of the program
• Access to select BASF testing capabilities, global technical facilities, and expertise
• Exclusive access to the Greentown Labs and BASF networks
• $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding
• Similarly, Desk space at the Greentown Labs Global Center for Cleantech Innovation
• Potential access to BASF-sponsored bench in Greentown’s wet lab
• Likewise, Potential for joint ISO-standardized eco-efficiency analysis with BASF
• Opportunity to connect with multiple stakeholders across industries, including BASF customer and special program affiliate Stanley Black & Decker.

Eligibility

• Stage: Any stage firm, from pre-seed to Series B, is eligible to apply. They especially encourage Seed and Series A companies to apply.
• Location: Companies in any location are eligible to apply.
• Any start-up with an innovative solution to disrupt the plastics, energy storage, and recycling value chains to enable a circular economy is highly to apply.