Investment project for circularity in Belgium - Belgium Builds Back Circular

The “BELGIUM BUILDS BACK CIRCULAR” (or BBBC) investment project underlines the federal authorities' desire to promote the transition to a circular economy in Belgium. BBBC is part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). Financed by a temporary European fund, Next Generation EU, the NRRP aims at boosting the economy and supporting companies in European states that were heavily affected by COVID-19, while taking into account the goals of the Green Deal
 

Topics

BBBC was divided into 3 calls for projects launched in 2022 and 2023, with different priorities and topics. The first call aimed at stimulating industrial activities linked to the ecodesign of products in the following sectors: electric bicycles, wind energy, healthcare and biomimicry. The second call aimed at supporting ecodesign projects in:  clothing, logistics, furniture & interior, professional machinery and electronic devices. The third call focused on the substitution of hazardous substances or substances of high concern.

 

Target public and funding

These calls were mainly directed to organisations or consortia - of Belgian law or active on the Belgian territory - especially enterprises. A  particular attention was paid to SMEs, start-ups, research centres, applied research institutions, NGOs and consultancy firms.

For the first call on ecodesign, financial support per project amounted to a minimum of 250,000 euros and a maximum of 1,000,000 euros. For the second call, the amount allocated to ecodesign projects could vary between a minimum of 100,000 euros and a maximum of 1,000,000 euros. As for the third call,  it is planned to provide a minimum of 50,000 euros and a maximum of 2,000,000 euros to the winning substitution projects. All the projects were supported in accordance with the rules on state aid.
 

BBBC winning circular economy projects 

With 12 beneficiaries for the first call and 8 winners for the second call, BBBC has supported 20 particularly innovative projects related to the circular economy. These projects stand out for their technical and social approaches: they all propose solutions to reduce pressure on the environment by limiting the use of raw materials, encouraging their reuse and an efficient recycling, as well as by creating jobs.
 

Useful documents on project calls

Call 1
 
Call 2