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Our ecosystems | Circular

Impact Hub Circular Ecosystem

Only 8,6 percent of the global economy is currently circular, while adopting circular principles now could bring Europe net benefits of EUR 1,8 trillion and carbon emission reductions of 450 million tonnes by 2030. That is why Impact Hub Amsterdam hosts events, builds communities, and runs acceleration programmes around circularity.

Through our Investment Ready Program, for example, more than EUR 15 million has already been invested in circular startups. To further accelerate the transition from a linear to a circular economy, we work together with partners such as ING Foundation, Province of Noord-Holland, and CIRCL.

In our Circular Ecosystem, we bring together and strengthen relationships between impact entrepreneurs, investors, consumers, corporates, government, and other organisations. Together, we spur innovation and co-create a circular economy. Also working on the transition towards a circular economy? Join our Ecosystem!

Projects

Boost je Buurt 2025

APRIL - JULY 2025
Ben jij een impact ondernemer die Amsterdam gezonder, inclusiever en duurzamer maakt? Dan is dit dé uitdaging voor jou! De Boost je Buurt uitdaging van de Gemeente Amsterdam omvat een business development programma ter waarde van €20.000,- en een aanvullend ontwikkelingsbudget van maximaal €7.500.

CIRCO Ketentrack – Circulaire kansen voor PV omvormers

20/02/2025
De circulaire transitie en de energietransitie zijn direct aan elkaar gelinkt, inmiddels zijn er meerdere initiatieven op het gebied van (circulaire) zonnepanelen. Er worden nieuw te recyclen zonnepanelen ontworpen op Nederlandse bodem en de 2e hands markt komt in beweging. Na eerdere succesvolle Tracks rondom de panelen zelf en ook de mounting frames is het…

Fair Future Challenge

Oct 2024 - Feb 2025
The DOEN Foundation, in collaboration with Impact Hub Amsterdam, is launching a new competition for sustainable and social entrepreneurs. Do you have a sustainable and/or social consumer product or service? Five impactful and sustainable entrepreneurs will win €100,000 to support their innovation.  

IKEA Foam Collaboration

JUNE - OCT 2024
Through the IKEA Foam Collaboration, innovators specialising in sustainable foam, innovative foam solutions, or alternative foam materials have the opportunity to collaborate with IKEA. Together with Impact Hub global, we aim to revolutionise the furniture industry by making sustainable solutions accessible to all.

Green at Heart – Build an even more impactful SME

March 2024 - 2025
Green at Heart helps social SMEs close all the loops by building a business that is environmentally as well as socially sound, well-governed, and circular. Through state-of-the-art diagnostic tools, expert guidance, and financial support, we empower you to integrate all aspects of sustainability into the heart of your business and prepare you for incoming ESG…

Built by Nature Prize

15/11/23 - 04/06/24
This is your chance to be part of a global change story and a growing movement to advance a range of positive impacts for our planet and people. Seize the opportunity for recognition, collaboration, learning and inspiration by joining an international community committed to creating a built environment that works in unison with nature.

IKEA Glue Programme | 2023

07/05/2023
Calling out all innovators and entrepreneurs who are working in the field of biobased glues! We partnered with IKEA to track down sustainable glue options that will be kind to future generations.

WDCD Make it Circular Challenge

31 JAN 2023
What Design Can Do (WDCD) launched the Make it Circular Challenge, in partnership with IKEA Foundation. The make it Circular Challenge calls on designers, creative entrepreneurs and startups from around the world to envision and build a circular society. Winners receive a prize fund and a 6-month accelerator programme co-created with Impact Hub Amsterdam!

Circular Textile Accelerator – by CIC

8 JAN 2023
After extensive research the Circular Innovation Collective has identified the most urgent innovation gaps to create a circular textile chain. As a result we are scouting Startups and SME – B2B as well as B2C – national or international that are working on high value innovative circular solutions in Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Repair.

Impact Nation for Startups | 2022 | Sollas

17 NOV 2022
We’ve teamed up with ABN AMRO and TNW to develop Impact Nation, a programme in which we match innovative impact scale-ups with SMEs & organisations to collaborate on implementing innovations at scale.

Impact Nation for Startups | 2022 | PVG

26 OCT 2022
We’ve teamed up with ABN AMRO and TNW to develop Impact Nation, a programme in which we match innovative impact scale-ups with SMEs & organisations to collaborate on implementing innovations at scale.

Renewi Pilot Program

14 OCT 2021
Upcycling waste at the end of the dividing line. As part of our Circular Ecosystem work, Impact Hub The Netherlands has teamed up with Renewi to find innovators and solution providers in the field of waste processing.

AM

sep 2022-2023
AM is on a mission to become climate positive by 2040. To reach this goal AM is on the look out for innovative solutions to grow crops on the land AM cannot (yet) build houses on and use these crops as input to produce sustainable building materials.  

CIRCO Track – Circulair Verpakken Afhaal- en Bezorgmaaltijden

OCT 2022 - NOV 2022
De CIRCO-track ‘Circulair Verpakken Afhaal- en Bezorgmaaltijden’ helpt bedrijven voor te bereiden op de komst van uitgebreide producentenverantwoordelijkheid (UPV), om zo samen te werken aan een duurzame verpakkingsketen voor afhaal- en bezorgmaaltijden.

Impact Nation for Startups | 2022 | De Zeeuwse Kust

26 OCT 2022
We’ve teamed up with ABN AMRO and TNW to develop Impact Nation, a programme in which we match innovative impact scale-ups with SMEs & organisations to collaborate on implementing innovations at scale.

IKEA Marine Materials Innovation Program 2022

18 MAY
Are you revolutionising products by using marine materials? For IKEA of Sweden, we are scouting pioneers for the Marine Materials Innovation Program. Apply by 18 May and get a chance to work with IKEA on your sustainable marine material product or solution!

Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge 2022/2023

Mar 2022 - Q1 2023
We’re scouting for the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge for the fourth year running! The global program aims to support entrepreneurial start-up and scale-up businesses who are developing solutions that promote inclusive and positive change in fashion.

React!

31/12/2023
React! calls on all youth workers to get inspired and share knowledge on the circular economy, impact entrepreneurship and personal development.

Impact Nation for Startups | 2022 | Nationale-Nederlanden

26 OCT 2022
We’ve teamed up with ABN AMRO and TNW to develop Impact Nation, a programme in which we match innovative impact scale-ups with SMEs & organisations to collaborate on implementing innovations at scale.

IKEA Packaging Innovation Program

SEP - DEC 2021
Are you revolutionising packaging? For IKEA of Sweden, we are scouting pioneers for the Packaging Innovation Program. Apply and get a chance to work with IKEA on your sustainable packaging product or solution!

Business Model Challenge | Circular Edition

SEP - DEC 2021
polimeer
You have the green dreams – we hand you the business tools. Join the ranks of 350+ alumni and apply for our Business Model Challenge incubator! In three months, you will finetune your business plan, strengthen your entrepreneurial skills, and expand your impact business network in a blended, on & offline programme.

WDCD No Waste Challenge

Apr 2021 - Jan 2022
What Design Can Do (WDCD) launched the No Waste Challenge, in partnership with IKEA Foundation. Designers and creatives from around the world are invited to submit their innovative solutions to reduce waste and rethink the current production and consumption cycle. Winners receive a prize fund and a 6-month accelerator programme co-created with Impact Hub Amsterdam!

Investment Ready Program

OCT 2020 - MAR 2021
During this 5-month accelerator (now in its 7th year!) powered by the ING Nederland Foundation, we’ll help you review your business model, strategy, team as well as craft a funding plan to grow your sustainable business. At the programme’s concluding Demo Day, you’ll pitch your plan to our network of impact investors!

Events

Join us at any of the following events and meet an inspiring network of people who are passionate about working together to build a new economy

Stories

1 September

How do you help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) become more sustainable without overwhelming them with complex rules and endless paperwork? The European Green at Heart program was created to answer that question. By providing social SMEs with practical tools, tailored guidance, and financial support, the program demonstrates that small businesses, too, play a key role in the green transition. After all, 80% of European enterprises are small companies.
11 August

Working in a circular supply chain is rarely straightforward. Different goals, shifting roles, and complex systems can slow progress to a crawl. At Impact Hub Amsterdam, through years of guiding projects where entrepreneurs, governments, and other stakeholders tackle real challenges together, we’ve learned some lessons about what it takes to keep things moving.
24 July

What if businesses existed not just to make a profit, but to create new life – even after death? What if agriculture didn’t deplete the soil but healed it? And what if a humble seaweed plant turned out to hold the key to a regenerative economy?
25 June

Imagine turning industrial smoke into the bubbles in your fizzy drink, or transforming it into a fresh-smelling soap. If you are someone who keeps their finger on the pulse of climate news, then chances are you are familiar with the term ‘carbon capture’, and you may think the meaning is obvious: capturing carbon, right? But what does this mean in practical terms? Where is the carbon captured from, what happens to it, are there drawbacks? And lastly, why does this matter?
19 May

Looking to initiate or expand a circular innovation initiative? The Circular Innovation Collective (CIC) Program Guide offers key insights and strategies from a collaborative effort that united startups, policymakers, and partners to address complex urban challenges. It's a practical blueprint for building impactful, systems-level solutions in any city or organization.

Partners